


Pieces to a Puzzle

by Shiroyasha4717



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe: High Noon, M/M, Minor Violence, Sexual Content, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 14:40:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 34,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20837153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiroyasha4717/pseuds/Shiroyasha4717
Summary: Zed and Yasuo, two bounty hunters disguised as Detectives, are called in the far west to investigate a series of murders plaguing the small town of Piltover. Fighting through time to place the pieces to a never-ending puzzle, they will be met with death and grief, friendship and laughter, and in Zed's case, an intriguing, secret-holding musician.





	1. Act 1

‘’Well, it was bound to happen at some point.’’ Yasuo exclaimed with a sigh, looking outside the window while he sat on the train, his fingers tapping against his own shoulder. ‘’Surprised it even took them all this time.’’

The man sitting opposite of him looked outside as well, at the under-populated city awaiting them. ‘’The attacks have been even more frequent recently. Maybe at first, they thought it was something seasonal. It would eventually stop.’’

‘’But, it never did.’’ Yasuo replied. ‘’And now they’re asking Detectives to find an end to this mess. The Sheriffs really are useless.’’

Zed simply nodded at that.

‘’What even is the bounty on his head?’’

‘’…Six million.’’

‘’Six _m__illion_?’’ Yasuo chuckled, a hint of nervousness hidden in his tone. ‘’That’s quite a bit for a Serial Killer.’’

‘’Because they can’t catch him. Two months, fifteen murders and all they know it’s that he’s _probably_ a guy. Some progress they’ve made.’’

The conductor’s voice announcing them reaching their destination cut their conversation short, and as the train came to a stop in the station, both men stood up.

‘’Well, we can head for our inn and settle in. Then we can start the ‘investigation’. But first, let’s meet up with the head Sheriff.’’

‘’You mean _you_ will start the investigation. I’m not a Detective.’’ Zed scoffed.

‘’Well, I’m not one _either_ you know. But I’ll get the job done. You’ll just be there in case I need you to smash any heads open.’’ Yasuo grinned, patting the other man’s shoulder affectionately. They both lowered their hats, as they entered the rowdy street, the afternoon sun blazing down upon them. They did their best to ignore the glares they earned from the cowboys sitting outside the numerous saloons, as they headed for the Sheriff’s department down the street, as they were instructed by a passerby. As soon as they were about to push the wooden swinging doors inside, a man kicked them open, furiously walking outside.

‘’I swear to heaven one goddamn day I’ll-‘’

He abruptly stopped upon seeing the two men, slightly tipping his head to them.

‘’Well these are some new faces ‘round town. G’day to you both.’’

Both men tipped their hats back, with Yasuo offering the man a smile. ‘’Are you the Sheriff?’’

The man laughs, wiping a non-existent tear away from his blue eyes. ‘’Me? Oh, thank God no. The Sheriff’s inside, and let me give ya a piece of advice; She’s pissed.’’

The two men exchanged a look at the last sentence, as Yasuo spoke once more.

‘’Well then, thanks for that. I’m Yasuo, this one’s Zed.’’ Said man, simple nodded towards his direction.

‘’He don’t talk much huh?’’

‘’That’s just how he is, don’t mind him.’’ Yasuo quickly defended.

‘’Nothin’ wrong with that. Real problem’s when ya don’t know how to keep your mouth shut. Name’s Tobias. But in this hell-hole I’m known as Twisted Fate.’’

‘’Glad to meet you then, Fate.’’

‘’Now y’all gentleman will have to excuse me, as I’ll be headin’ to the grand saloon down the street. Talkin’ to the Sheriff really makes you need a drink.’’ He added with a chuckle, as he began walking away.

Yasuo finally pushed the swinging doors open, as Zed was quick to follow in shortly after. Inside the building, they could see an office in the back, behind a glass door with the words ‘Sheriff’ engraved on. Yasuo lightly knocked on, as he afterwards opened it. Inside was a large desk, with a few chairs behind as well as in front of it. Behind, a woman was seated, searching through numerous documents scattered on the desk. But once seeing the two men she paused, raising her tall hat to take a good look at them.

‘’Good afternoon. Who might you two be?’’

Seeing as Zed wasn’t about to answer her anytime soon, as per usual, Yasuo spoke.

‘’We’re the Detectives, ma’am. We were called here last week.’’

‘’Oh, right. The Detectives, yes.’’ She said, her tone slightly more sarcastic than they’d like it to be. ‘’Take a seat while I search this mess for some files.’’

Both men complied, with Zed’s eyes scavenging as many documents as he could on that desk. Most of them were bounty posters, of criminals as well as bounty hunters. None new to him or his partner, but at least they weren’t included. The woman finally seemed to find what she was searching for, as she offered a small pile of papers to Yasuo, who took them with a nod.

‘’That’s all we know about them. It has the dates, times, and descriptions of the murders and the victims. As well as whatever little information we have on who they might be. Hope it’s something to begin your investigation.’’

After taking a quick glance, Yasuo firmly nodded, standing up with Zed doing the same. ‘’It surely will help, ma’am. Thank you.’’

‘’You’re very welcome. Well, about this time I’d tell you to be careful around this place. The murderer isn’t your only concern with the number of idiots placed in every corner. But, I see you’re well-armed.’’ She said, her sight aimed towards Yasuo’s large katana and Zed’s blades, both securely strapped on each one’s waists.

‘’We can defend ourselves, ma’am, don’t worry about it. And we won’t start any trouble, if you’re wondering.’’

‘’Good.’’ The woman said as she walked them to the nearby door, opening it for them. Zed could now notice the star hanging on her vest from a closer perspective, the name Caitlyn lightly engraved on the center, along with the words Head Sheriff above.

‘’Have a good day, Sheriff.’’ Yasuo finally said, to which the woman wished them the same.

Heading outside the building, Yasuo stretched his arms out with a small grunt. ‘’Well, that wasn’t so bad was it? Apart from her sarcastic comments.’’

‘’Could have been worse.’’ Zed argued, his eyes searching around the long street for anything suspicious.

‘’Let’s head to our inn now, yeah? We’ve had a long trip after all. I’m sure I saw it just down the street.’’ Yasuo proposed, to which Zed nodded.

The older man’s glare at the counter turned into a wide smile, once Zed dropped a small pouch filled with gold coins on the desk. He immediately got up, and guided them to their room on the second floor, after letting them know that he’d be available to anything they might need.

‘’Oh, I suggest you check out tonight’s performance on the saloon across the street, gents! The musician’s really good.’’ He said, as he exited the room, closing the door behind him.

‘’A performance huh?’’ Yasuo said, slightly intrigued. ‘’I can appreciate a fellow musician’s craft.’’

‘’Playing the flute makes you a musician?’’ Zed said with a low chuckle. ‘’Do we even have time for something like this?’’

‘’What place is better than a saloon to gather information? Hell, somebody’s gotta know something that’s not on these papers.’’ He said, tightening the knot on his red bandana wrapped around his neck.

‘’…Maybe. And we could use a drink.’’

‘’That’s the spirit, my friend.’’ Yasuo said with a wide grin.

The walk downstairs was relatively short, and not one step out of the inn they immediately heard the music coming from across the street, a few blocks away. A classic sounding piano emitted an extravagant tune from the inside, and cheers and yells supported it fully. Some gunshots were heard here and there along with swears, at which Yasuo lightly laughed.

‘’Right up our alley.’’ He said with a wide grin. ‘’Shall we?’’

Zed gave a small nod, as he was the first to enter the saloon. Tables were scattered throughout the store, every single one occupied with a small group of obviously drunk cowboys. Apart from one way in the back, where a single man was seated, a drink sitting on the table in front of him. Once he saw the two men he tipped his hat to their direction, to which they made their way towards him.

‘’Fancy seein’ you two here.’’ He said, as he took a big sip from his drink.

‘’Fate, right?’’ Yasuo offered a smile. ‘’Mind if we take a seat?’’

‘’Not at all. Drinks always taste better with company.’’ He said, extending his arm towards the vacant chairs next to his.

They both sat down, and T.F. immediately raised an arm towards a nearby waitress.

‘’Hey Cass, bring us another round for the gents!’’

The tall and slender woman, wearing a western-styled lengthy dress and long, elbow-reaching gloves nodded towards his direction, her green eyes flashing bright.

‘’Do you know everyone in this town?’’ Yasuo chuckled, taking a look around the saloon.

‘’We cowboys have a way with each other. That goes double for the ladies.’’ He said, his eyes on the waitress. ‘’Some of them are a real piece of work, though. This one for example. That’s Cassiopeia, Cass for short. Big, big trouble. Few men dare approach her.’’

‘’Hard to get?’’ Yasuo asked.

‘’Hard to not get killed, ya mean.’’

‘’Ouch.’’ Yasuo whispered, offering the woman a smile as she brought them their drinks.

‘’New faces, I see.’’ She commented, her voice sickly sweet.

‘’These two are the Detectives Cait hired.’’ T.F. commented.

‘’Oh, I see. Well, good luck on your manhunt gents. That murderer’s a real piece of work.’’ She offered both of them a wink, as she walked away.

‘’Seems like everyone’s aware of the killer. There’s word about’em all around the town.’’ Yasuo said, turning towards the long haired man.

‘’Hard to ignore at this point. But somehow, noone’s scared. Or at least they don’t act like it.’’

As the two men conversed, Zed’s attention was averted elsewhere, at the source of all the loud-sounding music. At the opposite side of the room, was a large piano, where a man was sitting in front, expertly and skillfully playing the keys. On top of the piano was an extravagant looking woman, dressed in a traditional cowgirl attire, two identical-looking guns pinned on each side of her belt. She was singing along to the man’s tunes, attracting the attention of all the men around, all seemingly completely enchanted by her. But Zed’s attention stayed on the male playing the instrument. It was a man, not too young, probably in his late twenties. He had long black hair, tied in a low ponytail behind his head, and a golden bandana around his neck. He wore a white shirt below a dark gray vest, his look completed with dark jeans and high cowboy boots with golden spurs attached on them. His long, slender fingers masterfully tapped the piano’s keys, never once making a mistake. He looked immersed, his amber eyes rapidly looking left and right. As the song came to an end, the saloon’s customers broke out in a loud clap, along with cheers, whistles and the occasional gunshots. The man offered a wide smile and a small bow, as he offered his hand to the woman on top of the piano to help her come down. She winked towards him, as she put on a hat over her long, shiny gold hair, and walked towards the bar. The man stretched his fingers, still seated down, before turning towards the crowd to engage in a conversation as he was offered a drink. His eyes scanned the room, before falling on Zed’s. The two locked eyes, seemingly for no reason, as the amber pair of eyes slowly narrowed. The musician then slowly raised his glass towards Zed’s direction, giving him a small smile, apparently offering a toast. Zed raised an eyebrow at the gesture, but raised his own glass towards him.

Yasuo blinked a few times at the sudden gesture. ‘’What are you doing?’’

Zed nodded towards the pianist’s direction with his head, to which the other two men turned towards.

‘’Ah, the pianist. Real talent, he is.’’ T.F. commented. ‘’Strange man, though. Ya never really know what’s on his damn mind. Weird ya even got his attention.’’

‘’Were you glaring at him?’’ Yasuo teasingly asked with a frown.

‘’I was simply looking.’’ Zed defended, to which the other man sighed.

‘’So you _were_. Oh, no.’’ Yasuo made a grimace, as he saw the pianist gracefully stand up, and make his way towards their table. ‘’If you’re gonna fight take this outside. I got nothing to do with this.’’

Zed rolled his eyes, as he turned towards the slender man slowly approaching them. His eyes locked on the other man’s once more, as he now stood in front of their table, his arm making his way to his own waist.

‘’Why, good evening. I do not believe to have seen you two gentlemen around these places before.’’

T.F. finished his glass, lightly slamming it on the table, slightly tipsy. ‘’Detectives.’’ He said. ‘’For the Killer.’’

The slender figure narrowed his eyes at that comment. ‘’Ah, of course. The serial killer, right. Quite a handful, from what I’ve heard.’’

‘’Sure is. Now from what I remember,’’ T.F. continued, searching his vest’s pocket for something, ‘’You do owe me a rematch.’’ He said, taking out a set of playing cards.

The slender figure chuckled, grabbing a nearby chair and settling down across T.F., and next to Zed and Yasuo. ‘’You remember correctly.’’ He turned towards the familiar waitress as she was passing behind them, offering her a smile. ‘’Do bring me the usual, will you dear?’’ The woman nodded as she returned the smile, making her way towards the bar.

T.F. skillfully shuffled the cards, before starting to pass them. ‘’Will you two join us?’’

‘’Why not?’’ Yasuo grinned, moving his glass to the side. ‘’I’m always up for a game of cards.’’

‘’Like any man should.’’ T.F. said with a nod, turning towards Zed. ‘’What about you?’’

‘’I’m good.’’ Zed replied with a stern, dismissive nod.

‘’Come on, don’t ruin the fun.’’ Yasuo said with a frown, to which the slender man waved a hand dismissively.

‘’Now now, no harm done. We should leave him to peacefully enjoy his drink- well, as peacefully as one can with all this ruckus. Right…?’’ He turned towards the silent man, apparently waiting for something.

‘’…Zed.’’ He finally finished.

‘’Zed.’’ The other male replied in confirmation. ‘’Lovely.’’

‘’Oh, right. I’m Yasuo, pleasure to meet you.’’

‘’Khada Jhin.’’ The man replied with a timid smile. ‘’Pleasure’s all mine.’’ He added, as he picked up the cards T.F. had dealt.

Zed shot Yasuo a glance, to which Yasuo nodded. He picked up his own cards, as he loosened the bandana around his neck.

‘’Not trying to ruin the mood or anything, but I’d like to ask you two some questions.’’

‘’About the murders, correct?’’ Khada said, the smile never leaving his lips.

‘’Correct.’’ Yasuo confirmed, playing his hand. ‘’Anything you might know could help us.’’

‘’Well, last one was around four days ago if my memory serves me right.’’ T.F. commented with a grim look. ‘’Guess we’re waitin’ for another one tonight.’’

‘’Huh? How can you know that?’’ Yasuo questioned, an eyebrow arched.

‘’There’s a pattern here, pal.’’ T.F. said, as he showed his winning hand. ‘’A murder every four days. Last one was the fifteenth. We’re headin’ for the sixteenth.’’

Zed noted that down in his mind. A murder every four days. But why four? Was there any special meaning to this? There’s no way it was random, that’s for sure. Once or twice, maybe. Even thrice. But fifteen times in a row? Do such coincidences even _happen?_

‘’There was a witness that managed to survive one of the attacks.’’ Khada suddenly said, politely sipping on his drink. ‘’She managed to wound them, even. Not fatally, unfortunately.’’

‘’She?’’ Yasuo repeated in shock.

‘’Oh yes, our dear Sarah. The lady who accompanied me on the piano.’’

‘’A real good shot, she is.’’ T.F. added, as he shuffled the cards once more. ‘’Got the fucker in the thigh, from what I heard.’’

‘’Well then, Zed, why don’t you go ask Miss Sarah some questions? Since you’re free at the time.’’ Yasuo said with a pretend smile, as he picked up his cards.

Zed lightly shook his head, as he got up, not ignoring the way Khada’s eyes trailed him as he made his way to the bar. The blonde woman was sitting on a stool cross-legged, idly chatting with the bartender as she sipped on her drink. As she saw him approach, she flashed him a wide, bright smile.

‘’Why, just who might you be? Never seen you before.’’ She added with a chuckle. The bartender, an old, smiling man, nodding towards his direction as a greeting.

‘’..I’m a Detective, called by the Head Sheriff. Me and my partner are investigating the Serial Killings.’’

She raised an eyebrow, but still absentmindedly checked her nails.

‘’Figured this was the case. So, pretty boy. What do ya wanna ask?’’

Zed raised an eyebrow. His hat was low enough to cover most of his hair, and the purple bandana around his neck covered most of his face, apart from his eyes. ‘’About your encounter with them. I heard you witnessed one of the murders.’’

‘’That I sure did.’’ She said, as she pulled a stool from below the bar for the man to sit on. ‘’I was on my way home after a night in the saloon over here, when I heard a scream. And like anyone would, I immediately pulled my guns and ran towards the source.’’

Zed wondered if that’s what anyone would do, but chose not to interrupt.

‘’It came from the woods, towards the west parts of the town. I ran in, and heard a gunshot. Then another one, and another one. Three, in total, before I reached the scene. A man was lyin’ on the ground, bleedin’ from every place possible.’’ Her eyes remained calm, as it was something she would see on a daily basis. ‘’I yelled to the fucker to drop it, and he calmly turns towards me, and fires another shot. That’s when I got a look at him.’’

‘’Do you… remember any details?’’ Zed asked.

‘’Some. A guy, apparently. He looked like a cowboy, that’s for sure.’’

Zed huffed through his nose. That sure helped.

‘’He was wearing a hat, and a red bandana around his face. Even his eyes were hidden behind a pair of goggles. The weapon was, well, weird to say the least. It had two components, that’s for sure. Ammunition was one of them, probably. Can’t be certain.’’

‘’Sounds… complex.’’ Zed pointed out.

‘’Sure was. That technology is rare. I’d go as far to call that stuff magic.’’

‘’Magic?’’ Zed was intrigued. ‘’In these places?’’

‘’It sure looked like it. Anyways, he shoots towards me, but I move away just in time, and shoot him back. Got him right on the thigh.’’ She said, her expression looking triumphant. ‘’He then made a run for it.’’

‘’I see.’’ Zed stayed quiet for a while, trying to memorize all that new information. ‘’Well, you’ve been very helpful, Miss Sarah. Thank you.’’

‘’Miss?’’ She barked out a laughter. ‘’Just Sarah handsome, just _Sarah_.’’ She repeated, as she raised her hat with the tip of one of her guns, offering the man a wink.

‘’…Zed. It’s been a pleasure.’’ He replied, slightly tipping his hat, as he made his way to their table in the back.

‘’Doesn’t look too good for you, my friend.’’ He heard Khada say, as he noticed the frown on T.F.’s face.

‘’It ain’t over. Lady Luck hasn’t abandoned me yet.’’ He said, as he picked up his cards. ‘’All in.’’

Khada chuckled, and complied, as they revealed their hand to each other. Khada, to say the least, was shocked, as he dropped back on his chair, his eyebrows highly arched in surprise. T.F. laughed, as he pulled all the cash left on the table towards his lap.

‘’Told ya.’’

‘’That was… I…feel like I should have seen it coming.’’ The slender man replied, slightly shaking his head in disbelief. ‘’You did not cheat, did you?’’

‘’Aw, that hurts. Of course not, I never cheat. You know that.’’

Khada chuckled, but raised his hands up in defense. ‘’Of course, of course. I apologize.’’ His sight turned towards Yasuo, who had a bright grin on his face, clearly enjoying the company. His eyes however, immediately settled on the pocket on the samurai’s jeans.

‘’Do correct me if I’m wrong, but is that a flute in your pocket?’’

Yasuo blinked a couple of times, before turning his sight downwards, where the upper part of the instrument was visible from his pocket. ‘’Oh yeah, it is a flute, you are correct.’’

He could see the man’s amber eyes slightly lighten up in clear interest. ‘’I’d love to hear you play.’’ He admitted, a bashful smile on his lips. Zed raised an eyebrow at that, hidden below his hat.

‘’Well, no problem by me.’’ Yasuo replied. ‘’I’m not really up with western songs, however. I’m more into traditional ones.’’

‘’Oh, that is quite fine. I’ve always enjoyed traditional music. Would you accompany me on the piano?’’

‘’It’d be an honor.’’ Yasuo smiled, as he took off his hat, leaving it on his chair. As he stood up, he leaned close to Zed’s ear. ‘’Told ya my craft would be appreciated.’’ He boasted and left, tracing the other male across the room.

Zed chuckled next to Twisted Fate, who order another round of beers for them, as he saw the slender man approach Sarah Fortune, and whisper something in her ear. She gave him a grin, as she stood up and walked up to the piano, sitting on it cross-legged with a graceful leap. Yasuo leaned against the wall next to them, and expertly played an opening tune, that was then continued with the sound of a piano and the female’s voice. The cowboys cheered, and Zed felt his shoulders relax. He knew they had a job to do, but could not stop himself from settling in and enjoying the night.

* * *

‘’What a brilliant night.’’ Yasuo exclaimed, as he laid on the bed with a satisfied exhale. They had just returned to their inn, after a few hours of countless songs and music. From Yasuo’s side, at least. Zed was content with simply listening.

‘’Maybe tomorrow we can do some actual work for once.’’ Zed said, but his voice held no grudge.

‘’Yes, yes, we will.’’ Yasuo said with a chuckle, removing his hat and bandana as he closed his eyes, beginning to drift off. ‘’Rest well.’’

‘’You too.’’ Zed replied, as he started removing his attire.

He did so as he stood in front of the small window, looking down upon the dark, empty by now street. The woods in the distance seemed calm, the leaves on the trees’ branches slowly rustling with the wind. That was, until Zed’s eyes caught a glimpse of something. A yellow and red flash, for a split second. A gun shot? He narrowed his eyes, as another similar flash banged in the woods once more. He quickly retrieved the few pieces of his suit that he had removed, throwing a glance towards the bed of his companion. He thought about waking him up, as he was out cold by now, but decided against it. He was clearly tired, and probably drunk so he simply walked past him, and quietly exited the room. He raised the purple bandana up to his nose, as he unchained his blades from his waist’s belt, tucking them securely in his gauntlets as he exited the inn. Breaking into a sprint, he swiftly began passing through the countless trees in the horizon, heading towards the area he had noticed from the window. It was further than he suspected, but eventually, he did get there. And the scene that unfolded before his eyes, was exactly what he expected, but also feared to see. A cowboy’s corpse, mangled and twisted in every way possible, face long beyond recognition. Still, he did what he had to do, and slowly kneeled down, checking the man’s pulse. Nothing, not that he expected otherwise. Before he could inspect the body further, however, a hand abruptly grabbed him from the neck, and another pulled both his hands behind him in a tight hold.

‘’Got ya now, fucker.’’ He heard a voice, strangely familiar. He managed to painfully turn his gaze around, and stare at the now apparent face of his beholder.

‘’T-Twisted Fate?’’ He managed to utter, his teeth gritted.

‘’Aw shit, Zed?’’ The man exclaimed, immediately releasing the man from his hold in both his neck and arms. ‘’The hell are ya doin’ here?’’

He adjusted the purple bandana around his face and neck, as it had crumbled under the force of the other man’s grip. ‘’I saw gunshots from the inn’s window.’’

T.F. lowered his hat just below his brow, pale blue eyes scanning the perimeter. ‘’So did I. Just left the saloon, and all I hear is shooting and screams. Sarah came with, she must be around here somewhere.’’ He now noticed the body on the ground, impulsively taking a step back. ‘’Aw shit.’’ He exclaimed once more.

‘’They could still be around here. Stay on alert.’’ Zed noticed, to which the other man nodded.

‘’Let’s split up. I’ll head east, check up on Sarah. You head west.’’

And so Zed did. Swiftly running along the tree-line, his eyes expertly scanning his surroundings along his way. Until a sudden, heated pain in his calf forced him to stumble on the cold, unwelcoming ground. His hand immediately rushed to the wound, feeling its way around it. A shot. His crimson eyes immediately shot up, but could not discern anyone nearby. Another shot. This one hit him right on the shoulder, now completely losing his balance and collapsing. He had been shot before, he was familiar with the feeling. But this time, was different. These were no normal wounds. He felt that just _another_ shot would be fatal. Sarah’s words returned to his mind, unconsciously.

_ ‘’I’d go as far to call that stuff magic.’’_

_‘’Magic? In these places?’’_

_‘’It sure looked like it.’’_

He tried to apply pressure to his ever-bleeding wounds, but he found no strength to do so, or even to yell for T.F. or Sarah. His eyelids were getting heavy, along with his breathing. He was able to discern a silhouette approaching him, slow, and graceful. They looked familiar, he thought, before finally, passing out, his vision and consciousness, slowly fading away.

* * *

He slowly opened his eyes. He found his vision still blurry and shaky, but managed to take a little in of his surroundings. A room, an unknown one. Where was he?

He immediately shot upwards, but a sudden pain on his head forced him back down. Did he just hit something?

A painful grunt from next to him confirmed his suspicions. He did hit something. _Someone._

‘’That… hurt.’’ A familiar voice exclaimed, and after blinking a few times, he was now able to see the figure next to him, stroking their own forehead. ‘’It’s one way to greet someone, I suppose.’’ They said with a chuckle.

‘’Khada… Jhin?’’ He questioned, to which the man nodded. He was out of his cowboy attire from earlier, wearing a simple pair of pants and a white shirt, his hair untied and falling on his back.

‘’Correct.’’ He confirmed. ‘’Good morning.’’

‘’Good…’’ Zed shot upwards once more, looking around. It was a bedroom, and he lied on a nicely put together bed. The whole place was extremely clean and tidy, unlike the rest that he had seen of the town. ‘’Where.. am I? Your house?’’

‘’My room, Tobias’ house.’’ The other man clarified.

Zed was still confused, but pressed no more on the issue. His hand searched its way up to his own shoulder, which he found cleaned and patched with pure white bandages. Same with his calf, he found out, after raising the white sheet that covered him from the waist down. He now noticed something else.

‘’Why am I naked?’’

Khada Jhin raised an eyebrow. ‘’How else was I supposed to treat your wounds? Over your clothes?’’

‘’You could have cut them.’’ He rebutted with a grunt.

‘’Ah, but that would be a waste. Quite an attire, I will admit. I did wash it, and patch up the bullet holes. It is still drying, I believe.’’ The other man casually said with a smile. ‘’And rest assured, I had no ulterior motive in seeing you nude. No need to feel embarrassed.’’

‘’I’m not f-‘’

A sharp pain in his shoulder’s wound forced him back on the mattress, lying down with a grunt. ‘’Last night…’’

‘’Ah, right, right. I found you barely conscious in the middle of the woods, slowly bleeding out. So I immediately carried you here, as fast as I was able to. I met with Tobias on the way, which sped up our task. You are quite heavy, by the way.’’ He commented, a cheeky smile crawling on his well-shaped lips.

‘’The killer.. Did they find them?’’ Zed now questioned.

‘’I’m afraid not. They must have gotten away in the commotion.’’ Khada Jhin bitterly said, his eyes narrowed and looking outside the nearby window. ‘’But, it still is good that I found you when I did. We could have had two victims, if I didn’t.’’

Zed blinked a few times in realization, his eyes quickly turning towards the other man. ‘’Ah..right. Thank you. For helping me.’’

He was offered a warm smile. ‘’I’m not as heartless as to leave a wounded man to bleed out, you know. But, you are welcome.’’

The room’s door busted open all of a sudden, and a man rushed in, his long, tied up hair rushing along.

‘’Zed!’’ He exclaimed, kneeling down besides the bed. ‘’Man, what the hell happened?’’

‘’I’m fine, Yasuo.’’ He sternly replied.

Khada Jhin slowly stood up. ‘’I shall leave you two alone. Make sure to rest well.’’ He finished, and exited the room with graceful steps.

The second the door closed, Yasuo turned towards the wounded man with a painful look. ‘’Are you fucking serious? Why didn’t you wake me up? Why the hell did you rush out by yourself? Am I that unreliable?!’’

Zed closed his eyes, a sharp exhale from his nose. ‘’That’s not it.’’

‘’What is it then? Running off by yourself, almost getting killed? I thought we were in this together, man. Aren’t we partners?’’

‘’We are.’’ Zed confirmed. ‘’And I made a mistake, I am well aware. I underestimated the Serial Killer, and rushed in by myself as an amateur would. I am _aware_.’’ He replied, toning the last word.

Yasuo looked like he wanted to say something more, to keep this argument going, but he ultimately shook his head a few times with a disappointed look. ‘’Just, don’t do that again. Okay?’’

Zed nodded. ‘’Okay.’’

A well-timed knock on the door ended their conversation, as a man along with a slender woman came in.

‘’How’s the patient doin’?’’ She asked, a smile painted on her bright red lips.

‘’He’s seen better days.’’ Yasuo replied with a small laugh. ‘’But he’ll live.’’

‘’He better do. We got work to do.’’ T.F. replied, a rare, serious look in his eyes.

‘’What kind of work?’’ Zed questioned, as Khada Jhin walked in once more.

‘’Setting a trap, I believe.’’ He said, as he pulled up a seat near the bed.

‘’Damn right.’’ Sarah said, sitting cross-legged on the nearby bedside table. ‘’Yesterday was the sixteenth. We’ve had enough. In four days we’ll end this fucker once and for all.’’ She casually added, as she checked her nails.

‘’Sounds like you have a plan.’’ Yasuo noted, to which T.F. looked away with a little cough.

‘’Well, uh, we’re gettin’ there.’’

‘’Great.’’ Zed bitterly commented.

‘’How’s that shoulder going, pretty boy?’’ He heard the only female voice in the room ask.

His fingers lingered on the fabric of the bandage, tracing around the wound. ‘’Still burns. You were probably right, after all. This… it’s definitely magic.’’

‘’Thought it was. Have ya taken a look at it yet, Fate?’’

Yasuo raised an eyebrow at that, but T.F. nodded.

‘’I did last night, as Khada was patching him up. Rare shit, let me tell you that. Man’s not a local, that’s for sure.’’

‘’A traveler then. Kinda narrows our search, just the slightest.’’

‘’Wait wait wait.’’ Yasuo interrupted them, waving a hand in front of his face. ‘’You know about magic, Fate?’’

T.F. raised his hat with a grin. ‘’Duh. I use magic, after all. You just haven’t had a chance to see me in the act.’’ He noticed the grim look the wounded man was giving him. A deadly glare. ‘’And no, I was not the one who harmed you.’’

‘’A cowboy that uses magic. Do you not fit the description?’’ Zed questioned, his crimson eyes narrowed.

‘’Zed, don’t-‘’

‘’Nah, it’s alright. Better clear our ground if we’re gonna do this together.’’ T.F. explained, seemingly having taken no offense. ‘’First of all, I’m a local. Have been ‘round these places all my life. But more importantly, you were shot with a firearm.’’

Zed raised an eyebrow at the man stating the obvious, but then realized where he was heading with it. ‘’Do you not use firearms?’’

‘’Do ya see any on me?’’

He did not, and had never seen any, he thought.

‘’I use firearms.’’ Sarah said with a chuckle, tipping her hat with the edge of her gun. ‘’Can’t use magic though.’’

‘’So you claim.’’ Yasuo pointed out. ‘’Doesn’t you being the only person who has seen the killer, and claimed to wound them seem suspicious?’’

‘’Sure does handsome.’’ She said with a loud laugh.

‘’Sarah’s got alibi for the majority of the murders. Half these times she was with me. She’s clear.’’ T.F. defended the woman.

‘’I see.’’ Zed said, his eyes finally falling on the slender figure sitting next to him. The man gave him a smile, as he tilted his head slightly to the side.

‘’Is there something bothering you?’’ He asked, his voice coated with sugar.

‘’Do you use any firearms? Guns?’’ Zed blatantly asked, not bothering to beat around the bush.

‘’Ah, yes, I do. Though..’’

‘’He can’t shoot for his goddamn life.’’ T.F. commented, as he barked out a laugh. ‘’I’ve seen him. Couldn’t hit an elephant standing a foot away.’’

‘’That is, kind of harsh.’’ Khada Jhin said, a painful look on his face, but his smile remained in its place.

‘’Does anyone else use magic in this town?’’

Sarah seemed to think about this, her slender finger tapping on her own chin. ‘’I can only think of two people in this town. Cass is one, the waitress that you met. But she doesn’t use guns. Ever. She’s, well, somethin’ else.’’

Yasuo nodded. ‘’And the other?’’

‘’The town Marshal. Works with the Sheriff.’’ T.F. said.

‘’So he’s out of suspicion?’’

‘’Pretty much. He definitely has air-tight alibi.’’ Sarah added.

‘’Doesn’t seem like we’re making any progress.’’ Zed commented. ‘’All we know is that someone in this city uses magic, and hides it.’’

‘’So we’re back to square one.’’ The sword-wielding man said along with a deep sigh.

‘’Not necessarily.’’ Khada Jhin finally spoke up. ‘’Speaking with the Marshal may help us in our task. He does work with the Sheriff, but as far as I am aware of they make separate investigations and hold separate files.’'

‘’Now that sounds like a plan.’’ Yasuo said with a grin. ‘’Once Zed’s a little better, we can pay him a visit.’’

‘’Just go without me. No need to waste time.’’ The other man replied, still lying down.

‘’We can’t just leave you alone.’’ His companion rebutted, to which another man waved a hand dismissively.

‘’Please, no need to worry. I can stay behind with him.’’ Khada Jhin proposed.

‘’I doubt I asked for a babysitter.’’ The wounded man replied, his eyes narrowed.

‘’Well, you got one anyways.’’ Yasuo said, patting the non-wounded shoulder in a friendly manner. He now looked up to the slender man. ‘’You did save his life, so I’m trustin’ you on this. Thanks.’’

‘’You’re very welcome.’’ Was the reply he received.

‘’Well.’’ Sarah exclaimed, gracefully jumping off the bedside table. ‘’What are we waitin’ for? Let’s roll.’’

And with that, they were off for the Marshal’s house, and Zed was once again left alone with the other man.

‘’Can I get you anything?’’ He heard him offer. ‘’Are you hungry, perhaps?’’

‘’No.’’ He simply grunted out.

Khada let out a simple sigh, averting his eyes.

‘’..Some water. Maybe.’’ Zed now added, to which the other man smiled.

‘’Of course.’’

He was back within a minute, handing a glass filled to the brim to the other man. Zed quietly sipped on it, his eyes locked on the other man, who was looking towards a different direction, seemingly thinking about something.

‘’How old are you?’’

That seemed to pull him out of his thoughts, turning his head towards Zed. ‘’Pardon?’’

‘’Your age.’’ Zed rephrased, not liking to repeat himself.

‘’Ah, thirty-two.’’

Zed raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowed. That caused the other man to chuckle. ‘’Am I older than you?’’

‘’By four years.’’ Zed admitted.

‘’Wouldn’t have thought. Oh, and I mean no offense by that. You look quite mature, is what I meant.’’

‘’None taken.’’ He replied. ‘’How…’’ He trailed off, and cleared his throat. ‘’How long have you been here?’’

Khada Jhin thoughtfully tapped his chin with his slender, elegant fingers. ‘’Two months or so, I believe.’’

_Two months, _Zed noted. ‘’How long will you be staying?’’

He earned himself a chuckle from the other man, who closed his eyes with a smile. ‘’To be honest, it was in my plans to leave one of these days. But, seeing how… fired up, everyone is to catch this Serial Killer, I will stick around for a little longer. Offer a hand, wherever I am able to.’’

‘’Much appreciated.’’ Zed answered back, feeling his eyes slowly closing.

‘’Ah, right, right. You should rest.’’ He noted, standing up. ‘’Do call if you need anything.’’

And with that, he was out of the room, and Zed slowly but steadily, nodded off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Sarah knocked on the large, wooden door a couple of times, but they received no answer. She repeated her action with an arched, annoyed eyebrow, but still, nobody came. So T.F. slammed his fist into it, before yelling.

‘’Open up, asshole! It’s me.’’

They all heard an exasperated sigh coming from inside, before the door finally was pulled open, and they were met with a man. The man was dark-skinned, with long, black hair tied in a curly pony-tail. His cowboy attire was extravagant, and Zed could clearly see the two white pistols wrapped on the straps around his waist. He looked pissed off, and his dark beard along with arched eyebrows only made him look more intimidating.

‘’The hell do ya want, Fate?’’ He spoke in a deep, masculine voice.

‘’Me? Oh, nothin’. This gentleman would like to ask you a few questions, however.''

The man turned towards Yasuo, who immediately extended an arm forward.

‘’Name’s Yasuo, Sir. Pleasure to meet you.’’

After staring the other man in the eye for a few seconds, seemingly assessing him, the dark-skinned man extended his own arm, firmly grasping the extended one. ‘’Lucian.’’ He responded. He looked at the other two with narrowed eyes, at which Sarah offered him a wink. ‘’Come in.’’ He finally said with a roll of his eyes.

Entering the house, Yasuo noted how large, and well-kept it was. He, along with T.F. and Sarah, were led into a living room, and offered a seat. From his place, he could clearly see the wall ahead of him, and the decorations on it. On the wall, and on the furniture below it, were black and white photos of the man, Lucian, and a woman. A lot of them, to be frank. And he looked very happy in each and every one of them. He could not see the woman anywhere in the house, however, nor hear anyone else being in. Afraid of the answer, he chose not to ask anything about them in the end.

‘’So, Yasuo.’’ Lucian declared. ‘’What kind of questions might you have for me?’’

‘’Ah, right. I’m a Detective, called in by the Sheriff for the Serial Killings.’’ He quickly explained.

‘’Huh. Right.’’ The man said, slightly lifting his large black, cowboy hat. ‘’Did the Sheriff not fill you in?’’

‘’She did, sir, but anything more could very much help us. Anything you might know, or think of, could aid us.’’ He said, and before asking more, informed the other man on their own findings.

Lucian scratched his beard with closed eyes as he heard, apparently thinking carefully. He finally spoke, after Yasuo finished. ‘’Well, first things first. We know it is a man, since Sarah saw him. The murders have been takin’ place for two months now, and from what you’ve gathered about magic, it ain’t a local. So a traveler, that arrived around two months ago, would be the logical conclusion.’’

‘’Correct.’’ Yasuo said with a nod.

‘’Or, that’s what the fucker wants us to believe.’’ The Marshal now rebutted. ‘’What I think, is that it’s someone that came earlier. There ain’t no way he popped in town two months ago, and immediately started killin’. He must have needed time to settle in, learn the surroundings. Only a mad man would immediately start butcherin’ people. It’s like askin’ to be caught.’’

Yasuo’s fingers wrapped around his own chin, his sight aimed downwards. The man had a point.

‘’That doesn’t really help us though.’’ Lucian continued. ‘’It’s a male, not local, that probably settled in some weeks or months before the murders started. He uses magic, but hasn’t made it public. We can’t really go on with this. Can’t start interrogatin’ every traveler in town. Hell, more than half the people in this goddamn place are travelers.’’

‘’So?’’ T.F. asked. ‘’What do we do, Marshal?’’

‘’Go ahead with your guys’ plan. Make a trap. The man kills every four days, and it always seems to be in a wooded area. The woods are north of town, and spread east and west. Our best shot is to wait the days out, and ambush him.’’

‘’Sounds good to me.’’ T.F. agreed with a slight nod of his head. ‘’There’s five of us already, six if you come with.’’

‘’Should be enough for one man. If what we’re dealin’ with, is just a man.’’ Yasuo said, a serious look in his eyes.

‘’Now now partner, no need to get all grim.’’ T.F. said with a grin, his hand on the man’s shoulder. ‘’We’ll get this over n’ done with in no time. If all goes well.’’

‘’If all goes well.’’ The Marshal repeated, and with that, and a few typical goodbyes, their meeting was over, and they were headed back towards T.F.’s house. Going inside, there was only silence, at which Yasuo immediately went on guard.

‘’Zed?’’ He said, his voice raised, but received no answer.

‘’Khada?’’ T.F. now yelled himself, but again, only silence followed.

Yasuo drew his sword, rushing up the stairs and towards the room where Zed had been last seen. After literally smashing the door in with his shoulder in a grant leap, his eyes scanned the room, sword drawn and ready to strike. What he was met with, he did not expect.

Zed, sitting up on the bed, staring at him with wide eyes and arched eyebrows.

‘’What… exactly are you doing?’’

‘’Fuck, Zed!’’ Yasuo exclaimed, sheathing the sword on his waist. ‘’Why didn’t you answer? I thought something had happened!’’

‘’I was… sleeping? I just woke up, and first thing I see is you knocking the goddamn door down.’’ The other man replied in an irritated tone.

Yasuo was about to say something more, but ultimately sighed, a hand ruffling his own hair. ‘’Where’s Khada?’’

‘’Is he not here?’’ Yasuo shook his head negatively. ‘’No idea then. He didn’t tell me he was going to leave.’’

Yasuo frowned, as he walked outside of the room to find the other two and let them know everything was fine.

‘’Except Khada. He’s gone.’’

‘’Well he might’ve just gone out for a bit. Nothin’ to worry bout.’’ T.F. casually shrugged, to which the other man raised his voice.

‘’In case you forgot, there’s a wounded man in the bloody house who I entrusted him with! He can’t just get up and leave!’’

At that moment, the door opened, and a man walked in with casual, slow strides. He raised an eyebrow at Yasuo, obviously having heard their conversation.

‘’Why, good evening.’’

‘’Where were you exactly?’’ Yasuo ignored the greeting, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Khada looked offended, his eyebrows frowned and a small huff escaping his lips. ‘’The Sheriff called for me, so I paid her a visit. It barely took half an hour, I did not think it was important enough to wake our patient up for.’’

T.F. placed a hand on Yasuo’s shoulder, trying to ease his tension. ‘’That’s fine, no harm done. Right?’’

‘’..Right.’’ Yasuo replied, his sight averted from the other men.

‘’Well look who’s up and walkin’ around. Feelin’ better handsome?’’ Sarah said with a chuckle, her sight aimed towards the stairs, where Zed was now descending from.

‘’I’m fine.’’ He simply replied. ‘’Would prefer less of a commotion.’’ He added, staring at Yasuo, who remained silent. ‘’And a couple’ less broken doors.’’

At that Yasuo laughed, his hand patting the other man’s back affectionately. ‘’Shut up, man. I got worried.’’

‘’Then- Wait, what fuckin’ door?’’ T.F. snapped.

‘’_Well_, now that that’s gone and over with, what’s the plan? We just wait these days out and camp in the woods afterwards?’’ Sarah casually changed the topic.

T.F. replied, raising his hat. ‘’Pretty much. Also ya’re payin’ for the damn door.’’ He pointed towards Yasuo.__

* * *

And the last few days they waited out, until the fourth day after the last murder arrived. They wanted to raise no suspicion of their plans, in case anyone was keeping an eye out. So they acted as casual as they could, spending the evening in the usual saloon, and discussing anything other than what was about to unveil. One by one, they said their goodbyes, and by the time it was midnight, they were all out on their respective positions, well hidden in the woods, and waiting for anything to happen. Zed was with Lucian, both of them having their weapons drawn and ready to strike.

‘’Is it not unusual?’’ Zed whispered, only loud enough to barely be heard by the other man.

‘’What is?’’

‘’How the murders always happen in the woods. Let’s say the first few were simply unfortunate events, someone happened to be strolling through and got attacked. But it’s been sixteen times already. I doubt any sane person would walk in the woods knowing how many murders have happened already. Do people really just keep coming either way, or does he drag his victims here?’’

The Marshal looked skeptical, the question clearly having taking his interest. ‘’I never thought ‘bout it. It really is unusual. There’s nothin’ in these woods, nothin’ worth comin’ in for. I doubt why anyone would even come here by themselves, even more so after the murders.’’ He replied in a low voice. ‘’Then it’s only logical he drags them in here, but we’ve never found trails of blood or anythin’ like that leadin’ into the woods. No sign of anyone bein’ forced or abducted on their way. Hell, someone would have seen that.’’

Zed nodded, but did not drop the subject. ‘’Could they have come here… willingly?’’

‘’Why the hell would anyone come in here willingly?’’ Lucian whispered in a near hiss.

Zed stayed quiet for a few seconds, looking around their surroundings, making sure nobody was approaching. He turned back towards the other man, who was still looking at him questioningly.

‘’Are we even sure it’s a man?’’

Lucian frowned, his expression visibly confused, but stayed silent, urging the man to continue through with his point.

‘’All the victims have been male. We thought nothing of it, since the majority of the population around these places are male. But is it really a coincidence? If the killer was a woman… it could make sense, couldn’t it?’’

‘’You mean she seduced them into comin’ in the woods, then blew their brains out? I mean, it’s plausible, sure, but Sarah saw him. Said it was a _guy_.’’ The Marshal whispered back.

‘’Couldn’t she have just seen wrong? I’m not doubting her, but it _was_ nighttime, and in the middle of the woods. She gave a very detailed description on them, but they were still wearing a cowboy attire, and were covered head to toe. There’s no way she could have known the gender.’’ Sarah unconsciously came into his mind, along with her… physique. She was in no way comparable to someone like himself. No way anyone would misjudge her for a man. ‘’Maybe… I’m just overthinking this.’’ He finally said, slightly shaking his head.

‘’Nah, you might be right.’’ Lucian finally admitted, earning a glance from the other man. ‘’She could have misjudged them for a man. Hell, the only women I’ve seen ‘round these places that _look_ remotely like a woman are Sarah, Cass and the Sheriff.’’

‘’We’re.. overcomplicating things.’’ Zed said with a sigh, his sight now averted back around the area. ‘’Are we searching for a man, or a woman?’’

‘’Doesn’t matter.’’ The Marshal replied, cocking the safety off his guns. ‘’Someone’s coming, and we’re shootin’ the first motherfucker we see.’’

Zed turned his sight towards the way the Marshal was eyeing out, feeling the blades on his gauntlets sharp as ever, and ready to strike. He could now discern two silhouettes approaching, and in a second they were both on their heels, ready to ambush them. But as the dark silhouettes cleared up as the distance between them lessened, they both lowered their weapons in shock.

‘’Sarah? Cass? The hell are you doin’ here?’’ The Marshal questioned. From the look both of them were giving him, he realized where this was heading to.

‘’Well, Marshal.’’ Sarah replied with a sigh, her gun pushing the tip of her hat upwards. ‘’We’ve been had. There’s been a murder, in the saloon no less.’’

‘’The saloon?’’ Zed questioned, now standing up. ‘’The one we were in just a few hours ago? It was still filled with people. Did they-‘’

Cass shook her head. ‘’Nobody saw anything. It happened in the restroom. Some unfortunate guy walked in, and then rushed out for his life when he saw the mess on the floor. The Sheriff found Yasuo and told him what happened, then _he_ came and found us. And here we are now.’’

They saw Yasuo slowly approaching, his look grim.

‘’I presume you learned more details.’’ Sarah said.

Yasuo nodded a slight few times. ‘’There’s more bad news.’’ He finally said, to which everyone stood on guard. ‘’The killer ambushed T.F. and Khada, from what it seems. I found T.F. knocked out behind a tree, and Khada was gone. The Sheriff found him behind the saloon, with a busted forehead. Seems like… he was one step ahead of us.’’

‘’Wait a second lad. So they come in the woods, see Khada and T.F., knock both of them out, and then go to the saloon?’’

‘’I-I’m not sure, we found them just minutes ago. Including the body.’’ Yasuo cleared his throat after his stutter, not wanting to inflict even more anxiety on the rest of the crew.

‘’Anyhow,’’ Zed spoke up, placing a hand on his companion’s shoulder. ‘’Let’s go to the scene. No point dawdling here doing nothing.’’

‘’Yea..yea. Let’s.’’ The other man replied with a small sigh and a nod, clearly less shaken up.

Approaching the saloon, they found the Sheriff speaking to a group of cowboys, a small piece of paper on her hands, and furiously writing notes on it.

‘’Good evening _Sheriff._’’ The Marshal spoke up, to which the Sheriff raised an eyebrow, not bothering to look towards their direction. She kept her eyes locked on the paper, but still replied.

‘’Good morning _Marshal. _Given that it’s almost three in the morning.’’

The man ignored her, instead walking in the store as he nodded to the others to follow him inside.

‘’Watch your step, _Marshal._ This _is_ a crime scene.’’

‘’Of course, _Sheriff._’’

As they entered the saloon and headed towards the back of the room, towards the restrooms, Yasuo could not help but speak up.

‘’I see you and the Sheriff are on great terms huh?’’

‘’The best.’’ Lucian replied sarcastically, as he swung open the doors, and entered inside.

The sight, was atrocious. Even worse than the last one Zed had witnessed. The smell was obscene, and the bandana wrapped around his lower face managed to mask only a part of it. It was a man, probably in his late-twenties. A cowboy, clearly, from his attire. The body was gutted out, intestines and organs spread on him and around the floor, all sitting securely in a pool of blood. The arrangement of them, Zed noticed, was not incidental. They didn’t come out like this, someone intentionally placed them in that shape and morph. His eyes scanned the face of the body, which surprisingly, was recognizable. There was a wound, right between the man’s eyes, but Zed was no expert or doctor, and could not tell if the shot or the gutting was the cause of death. Upon closer inspection on the face however, his eyes shot wide, coming to a revelation.


	2. Act 2

‘’..Isn’t that-‘’

‘’The bartender.’’ Yasuo finished. ‘’I knew he looked familiar.’’

Zed remembered the man, by a mere glance towards him back when he was questioning Sarah Fortune on the bar.

Sarah, standing further back than the men, closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head left and right.

‘’Was a good man.’’ She said, her voice coated with sadness, but managing to stay steady. ‘’Knew him well. Has a wife…kids.’’ She shook her head a final time, heading outside. ‘’..Someone has to tell them the bad news.’’

Nobody stopped her, but the atmosphere got significantly darker than it already was. Lucian kneeled down next to the body, apparently unfazed by the gruesome scene, and started inspecting the body.

‘’Got any experience, Marshal?’’

Lucian shrugged his shoulders a little, as pulled up his jacket’s sleeves, lowering his gloved hands towards the mess of guts and bloods that remained of the man’s abdomen area.

‘’Seventeen times in a row. Still learning.’’

Zed raised an eyebrow at the sarcastic comment, given the situation was not one for jokes.

‘’May I help with anything?’’ Yasuo now offered, kneeling down next to the man, who instructed him to get some paper and write down his findings as he dealt with the inspection. He nodded, unbuttoning his vest to retrieve some paper and a pencil from a pocket inside. Zed walked out of the room, seeing his presence unneeded, and he wasn’t about to linger in a room with a corpse for no reason. Walking outside of the saloon, he found the Sheriff still chicken-scratching notes, carefully listening to the testimonies of the cowboys.

‘’Sheriff.’’ He said in a low voice, trying not to disturb her. Before he could continue on with what he wanted to ask her, she raised a pencil-holding hand, pointing away from them.

‘’Khada Jhin is in the back. The doctor is checking on him.’’

Zed raised an eyebrow but nodded, as he walked his way around the saloon heading towards the back of it. True to her word, he saw a man lying on the ground, his back against the wall, and another man kneeling next to him, wearing a long, black coat. A doctor, obviously. He slowly approached them, at which the lying man narrowed his eyes with a polite smile.

‘’Why,’’ He stopped, making a low hissing sound as the doctor applied what seemed like alcohol on the wound resting on his forehead. ‘’Good morning.’’

‘’..Good morning.’’ Zed replied, kneeling down next to him. His eyes followed the doctor’s hands, slowly but expertly wrapping a bandage around the man’s forehead, securely tied in place. He seemed satisfied with his work, as he stood up, packing any supplies that he had taken out back in a large case.

‘’Luckily, it’s simply a superficial wound, nothing damaged other than the skin. Should heal within a few days. But for now, rest well, drink fluids, _no alcohol,_ and no duels.’’ Duels, of course, implied gun/fist-fights, since of course, they were in a city filled with cowboys.

‘’Of course, Doctor. Thank you.’’

The man gave a simple nod in response, walking away to seemingly report to the Sheriff. Zed traced the bandage over the wound with his eyes for a few seconds, before he realized the other man was staring at him dead in the eye. Their eyes met, and locked for what seemed like hours, before the wounded man smiled brightly at him.

‘’Not very polite to stare.’’

‘’You were staring back.’’ Zed retorted, as he stood back up, offering the man a hand. Khada took it, and Zed effortlessly pulled him up, even though he felt some pain on his still-healing leg.

Khada was about to say something, as his mouth slowly opened, but instead took a step back, seemingly wobbling in place and about to fall, before Zed’s arm was outstretched and wrapped around his waist, holding him in place. He unconsciously thought of how slim the man was, feeling weak and vulnerable under his well-toned arm. Khada raised both eyebrows, as he looked towards him once more.

‘’How bold.’’ He commented with a grin, to which Zed rolled his eyes with a grunt.

‘’Should have left you fall.’’

He received a light laugh in response, to which he found himself slightly smiling, but still hidden from view under his bandana.

‘’I apologize, I must have stood up a little too fast. Thank you.’’ He placed a hand over his own wound, his eyes blinking rapidly for a few seconds, as if he was trying to focus on his surroundings. Zed noticed that, and moved his arm slightly forward, giving the man a light push.

‘’Come. I’ll walk you to Tobias’ house.’’

‘’Are you certain?’’ Khada replied, an eyebrow slightly raising with a timid smile. ‘’Are you not needed here?’’

‘’Yasuo and the Marshal are inspecting the body, and the Sheriff is taking testimonies. They’ve got it covered. And I’d rather not have to search the streets if you pass out on your way back alone.’’

The man chuckled, with a fond smile. ‘’I’ll gratefully take you up on your offer, then.’’

After letting Yasuo know where he was headed, he began walking along the street with the other man, extending an arm behind his back to steady him when he seemed to misstep. They were quiet, but in no uncomfortable way. Apart from the constant thoughts of the events that had happened just within the previous hour, they seemed calm. It was still pitch-black outside, the sun not about to rise for another couple of hours. There was a slight breeze passing through, but both men were relatively well-dressed, so they didn’t seem to mind. Zed cleared his throat after some time, earning him a glance from the other man.

‘’Mind explaining a little of what happened? Or should we get to the house first?’’ He offered to which the other man slightly shaked his head.

‘’No, no it is quite alright. This silence had started becoming insufferable either way.’’ His eyes looked around for a few seconds, as if he was rearranging his thoughts, before speaking once more. ‘’As I’m sure you have been informed, me and Tobias were ambushed while we were still in the forest. He might have seen the attacker, as I was the one to be knocked out first. I did not happen to see him, nor Tobias getting attacked.’’

Zed nodded, as to let the man know he was listening. He saw Khada stay quiet for a few more seconds, probably trying to find the right words to continue. He didn’t think much of it, just patiently waited at the other man’s pace.

‘’My… line of actions, may have not been the best, I should let you know.’’ He clarified. ‘’After I came to, I checked on Tobias, but was not able to bring him back to consciousness. So I rushed towards the town, in an attempt to find a doctor, fearing for the worse.’’

Zed raised an eyebrow, but stayed quiet. The man did say that he might have acted in the wrong way, which stopped him from asking why he did not come find him or the others in the woods.

‘’As I was passing by the saloon, I saw a man, exit from the back door. He was barely visible from my line of sight, but I am aware that the only people who use the back door are myself, Sarah, Cassiopeia and the… late bartender, and since us three were out this night, I highly doubted that our dear bartender would leave the bar unattended. So I approached the back of the saloon.’’

Another nod from the slightly taller male urged him to continue.

Khada took a long inhale. ‘’That was, when I noticed the man was half-covered in blood. He was holding a firearm on his hand, I couldn’t make out the exact type though. We locked eyes for a few seconds, before I immediately retrieved my own firearm and shot towards him. But, as I’m certain you heard, I am not the best shot in town. I missed, and when I tried to shoot again, my gun jammed. I quickly attempted to fix it, and that was when the man approached me, and gave me a good hit, with what I assume was his weapon’s handle on the forehead. And afterwards, well..I blacked out.’’

Zed took in the new information. ‘’Do you happen to remember his appearance?’’ He finally asked, after a few seconds of silence.

‘’Relatively. A man in a cowboy attire, which doesn’t help much. A purple bandana, a pair of goggles covering what was left unmasked of his face, and a hat covering anything of his hairline. Not much to go by.’’

Zed nodded, looking away.

‘’He was holding a firearm in his arm, as I mentioned. Well.. I'm not completely certain it was a firearm.’’

‘’How so?’’ Zed now questioned.

‘’It didn't seem like anything one would usually see here.’’ Khada clarified. ‘’Slightly over-pointed, for a gun. Extremely long.’’

He recalled Sarah’s testimony from a few days ago, completely matching the new one. ‘’Sarah mentioned the guy had a confusing weapon, as well. With multiple compartments.’’

‘’Fairly complex.’’ Khada noted, to which Zed rolled his eyes.

‘’Exactly my words. But since we know he already uses magic, it should come to no surprise at this point.’’

They had arrived at Tobias’ house, where Zed helped the man up the stairs, stopping in front of the latter’s room.

‘’You should… rest. I’ll stay up and wait for the others.’’

He received no reply, simply a staredown from the other man with narrowed eyes, as if he was contemplating something. Suddenly, after a few seconds, he saw a slender hand extending towards his own face. He slightly flinched, but stayed still, his eyes unfazed. He saw fingers wrap along the edge of the fabric, carefully hooking themselves on the inside and slowly, pushing downwards, pulling the bandana off along with them. Zed was about to raise an eyebrow and ask what that was for, before his lips were silenced from another pair, softly placed upon his own. His eyebrows shot upwards, but he managed to stay still. The other man slowly backed off, as Zed barely felt a warm breath against his own beforehand. Khada now continued his stare with a small smile.

‘’What… was that for?’’ Zed found only appropriate to ask.

‘’A thank you.’’ Was the reply he received.

He now furrowed his eyebrows, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘’I didn’t kiss you when you patched me up.’’ He stated, to which he earned himself a chuckle, as the other man swung the door open to his own room, stepping inside.

‘’Perhaps, you should have. Have a good night.’’ And with that, the door was closed, leaving him staring at it dumbfounded. He raised an eyebrow and shook his head, now walking back down the stairs towards the living room. He should not think much of it, he thought to himself. He was not oblivious to Khada Jhin’s teasing attitude, from the first day they met, which was less than a week ago. Yet, as he sat down in silence, waiting for the others to return and thinking about the tragic events of this night, his mind unconsciously kept thinking back on it, no matter how hard he tried to forget it.

After about an hour and a half, and as the sun had slowly but steadily begun to rise, he saw the house’s door swing open, and two men walk in. He was surprised to see Tobias, and not the Marshal, walk alongside Yasuo.

‘’Morning.’’ T.F. said with a grin.

‘’Good morning.’’ He replied. ‘’Where have you been?’’

‘’Well, the doctor checked up on me before Khada, and since I had no injuries or whatever I was let go. Then, on my way to the town I met with Sarah, and we visited the… the man’s family. She’s still there, uh, consolin’ the lady and the kids. Tough scene, let me tell ya that.’’ He added, with a shake of his head.

Zed nodded, before speaking up again, as Yasuo sat down beside him with a sigh. ‘’Khada mentioned he was knocked out first. Did you happen to see the attacker?’’

‘’Nah, can’t say I did. It was fairly dark, and both of us _were _hiding. By the time I saw that Khada wasn’t where we was supposed to be, I was knocked out as well.’’

Zed furrowed his eyebrows, but remained silent, his look towards his own lap. _Not finding him where he was supposed to be…_ Had the attacker drag Khada off, and knock him out away from T.F.? Khada hadn’t mentioned anything of the sorts, when he was giving _his_ description of what happened. He filed that somewhere in his memory, but brushed it off nonetheless. He _was_ attacked, he reminded himself. On the head, no less. A head trauma causing a hazy memory, no question. But wasn’t it odd? He was struck twice, after all. One strike, and he can’t remember what happened in the woods. Two strikes, but he can remember the attacker’s attire vividly behind the saloon. If his memory went hazy, one would expect it to be after the second hit, which actually caused a wound.

‘’You’re overthinking things.’’ The man seated next to him pointed out. ‘’I know that damn look.’’

Zed sighed, his face resting on his own hands. T.F. offered them both a goodnight, or a _goodmorning,_ as he corrected himself, and retired for the night. Or, well, day.

‘’Maybe I am.’’ He agreed. ‘’This whole deal might just turn me insane. We’ve never had this much trouble before, had we?’’

‘’Nah, we hadn't. Usually we walk in, and within a night or two the guy is caught, we get the bounty and we’re out. This one’s a real mess.’’

Zed nodded a few times, before he once again, felt a hand securely grasp his shoulder.

‘’Don’t worry man. We’ll get the guy. We always get them, one way or another. This one’s just a tad trickier. We can’t expect them to jump into our arms every time, can we?’’ He said with a grin.

Zed found himself smiling as well, visible, as his bandana was still lowered from… before.

Yasuo leaned backwards, his head resting on the couch’s back. ‘’Let’s rest here, yeah? I’m too beat to walk back to the inn.’’

Zed nodded once, and it was enough, as both men slowly drifted into a comfortable sleep, on an uncomfortable, crammed couch.

* * *

Yasuo woke up to the strong odor of coffee attacking his nostrils. He glanced towards the nearby kitchen, where he saw Khada smile at him, as he approached with a cup in his hands. He swiftly rubbed his eyes, becoming a little more awake, before taking the cup from the other man with a whispered thank you. He glanced towards his companion, still peacefully resting, as he sipped his coffee. He glanced back to Khada, to see him look towards Zed as well, which made him smile.

‘’A real looker, huh?’’ He now whispered. The man smiled, walking back towards the kitchen.

‘’Oh, I’ve noticed, worry not.’’

Yasuo grinned into his cup, sipping some more before speaking. ‘’I’m sure you have. I’ve seen the way you look at him, I ain’t blind.’’ He added.

‘’Is this you urging me to step away, then?’’ Khada replied, his voice low, but with a hint of teasing.

‘’Oh no, quite the opposite. That’s me tellin’ you to go for it. He could use somethin’ like this in his life.’’ He said with a chuckle, which he wasn’t able to stifle, as he now saw the man next to him slowly open his narrowed eyes and glare up at him.

‘’Ah, sorry pal. Woke you up.’’

Zed sat up, as his head was resting on the couch’s arm and glanced towards his companion, his eyes glued towards the cup in his arms. Yasuo raised an eyebrow and pulled the cup away. ‘’Nope. Get your own.’’

Zed glared at him once more, before he heard someone stand behind him. Whipping his head back, he was met with a steaming cup merely inches from his face, so he slightly backed off and looked upwards, to be met with a timid smile.

‘’Good morning.’’ The man said, as he handed the cup over, to which Zed nodded, as he raised his bandana upwards to its rightful place after taking a careful sip.

‘’Morning.’’

Yasuo grinned towards both of them, to which Zed raised an eyebrow, and Khada chuckled, taking a seat opposite of them. He picked up a newspaper from the simple wooden table in the middle of the room, swinging it open and carefully reading its content.

‘’Anythin’ from last night?’’ Yasuo asked.

‘’Amongst all the politics and propaganda, yes.’’ The man replied, as he cleared his throat. _‘’A seventeenth murder has plagued the small town of Piltover once more, as of today’s early morning. Sheriff Caitlyn alongside Marshal Lucian discovered a male’s body in the restroom of the town’s far north saloon, with several fatal wounds, although a certain cause of death has still not been given. Two citizens were also involved in the ordeal that, thankfully, managed to walk away unharmed.’’ _His eyebrow raised up sarcastically, as he glanced towards his own wounded forehead with a roll of his eyes. _‘’The victim was the male bartender of the saloon, who worked his shift during the night of the murder. Given the early statement of the Sheriff, it is still unknown how the Serial Killer entered and exited the saloon unseen by anyone, and so is how the murder unfolded in a citizen-filled store, without anyone hearing, or seeing anything suspicious. Nevertheless, we are still awaiting the Sheriff and Marshal’s final statement.’’_ With that, he folded the paper shut, leaving it back on the table.

‘’Seems like the Sheriff is keeping her distance from revealing too much.’’ Yasuo pointed out.

‘’As she should.’’ Zed replied. ‘’This has happened seventeen times too many, after all. And if she just gave the papers the man’s description, the whole town would go paranoid, and the man would go into hiding.’’

‘’Good evening, gents.’’ They heard a voice descending from the stairs, as they were met with a familiar, long-haired bearded man. ‘’_Is_ it evening? What time is it?’’

‘’Afternoon. Around… four.’’ Khada replied with a smile.

‘’Evening it is then.’’ T.F. concluded, as he walked towards the kitchen in order to prepare himself a cup of coffee and join the rest. Khada Jhin sat up, seemingly about to offer something, but was cut short with a wave of a hand.

‘’Sit down, musician. You played housewife enough for these two. Aren’t you supposed to be restin’?’’

Khada chuckled, as he sat back down. ‘’Did not think I was wounded enough to be unable to brew a few cups of coffee.’’

The house’s door swung open at that moment, and a blonde woman walked in. Everyone looked towards her direction, and the more than obvious black bags below her eyes. They were tired and narrowed, but she still offered a smile.

‘’Late to the party?’’

‘’Nah, we just started.’’ T.F. replied. ‘’Want some coffee, or ya gonna head to sleep?’’

‘’I’ll head to my place.’’ She dismissively replied. ‘’Just thought to check up on ya gentlemen first.’’ Sarah said, taking a seat next to Khada. ‘’Y’all holdin’ up alright?’’ She asked seemingly to everyone, even if her eyes were glancing between the man next to her and T.F., who were harmed in the incident.

‘’Nothing to worry about, my dear. We’ll be fine.’’ Khada reassured her with a warm smile.

‘’That’s… good.’’ She said, with a long sigh. ‘’What a shitty night.’’ She finally added.

‘’How’s the lady?’’ T.F. asked, no need to explain who he was referring to.

Sarah shook her head in a disappointed manner, her eyes closed. ‘’Finally resting. Cried her eyes out all night, along with the children. At some point I thought I was gonna break down and start cryin’ myself.’’ She felt Khada extend an arm over her shoulders, to which she responded by leaning her head on his shoulder, her eyes still shut closed.

‘’We need to find this fucker.’’ She declared all of a sudden. ‘’I’ve had enough of him. Hell, I came here for some peace and quiet for once, and look where we are now.’’

Khada sternly nodded. ‘’I very much agree.’’

‘’Well, Zed and I should have enough leads to think of somethin’, right?’’ He turned towards his companion, who nodded. ‘’We should head back to the inn, and do some careful thinking. We’ll get somethin’ out of it, I’m sure.’’ They simultaneously stood up, to which T.F. promptly walked them to the door.

Passing by the living room, Zed noticed Khada smiling up to him fondly, the woman still leaning on him now fast asleep. ‘’I wish you all the luck.’’ He quietly said, as his smile extended a slight bit more.

Zed simply nodded towards his direction and headed out with Yasuo, who waved them all goodbye. He stretched his arms out, as he gave Zed a slap on the back, which made the man slightly misstep forwards.

‘’Well. Time for the ‘detectives’ to piece this shit together.’’ Yasuo declared with a grin.

Zed smiled back, something that Yasuo realized by the corners of his companion’s eyes narrowing up.

‘’You mean _you’ll_ piece this shit together. I’m just here to smash heads open, remember?’’ He replied, and with that, they both laughed their way back towards the inn.

As it turned out, piecing this ‘shit’ together was easier said than done, and watching Yasuo pace up and down on the room didn’t help him concentrate either. Not that there was much to concentrate on, either way. But still, he tried to re-arrange his thoughts. A male cowboy-

He paused, remembering his conversation with the Marshal of yesterday night. Was it even a male? He grunted into the palms of his hands, which forced his companion to abruptly stop in his tracks and stare at him.

‘’Don’t blow a fuse man.’’ He heard him say. He then realized he had never shared this conversation with the other man, so he pointed towards the bed across of his for him to take a seat. He repeated yesterday’s conversation between him and Lucian, about how plausible it was for the Serial Killer to be a woman. Yasuo was frowning throughout the whole explanation, as it was clear that the possibility hadn’t crossed his mind, and messed with any scenarios he had thought up.

‘’Didn’t Sarah say it was a man?’’ Yasuo pointed out, to which Zed tried to recall the woman’s ‘testimony’. Luckily, he had a great memory, able to pick up on small details, sentences, and expressions all-together.

‘’When I asked her about it she said _‘A guy, I guess.’_ And then went on with what they were wearing. Sounds like an assumption to me.’’

The frown on Yasuo’s face grew deeper. ‘’What about Khada?’’

‘’What about him?’’

‘’Didn’t you talk to him about what happened? He confronted the killer, didn’t he? What did he say?’’ He replied, an eyebrow raised.

Zed furrowed his eyebrows for a few seconds, thinking. ‘’He said it was _a man._ More than once.’’

‘’Sounded certain?’’

‘’Certain enough.’’

‘’So Sarah ain’t certain, but Khada is?’’ Yasuo questioned, his arms extended with an exaggerated expression. ‘’Who are we takin’ up on this?’’

Zed pinched the bridge of his own nose, his eyes closed. ‘’Khada, I guess.’’

‘’Why’s that?’’

‘’Sarah got a look at him from a shooting distance. Khada got attacked at close range, he’s more plausible to have discerned the gender.

‘’Huh. Guess that’s true.’’ His partner noted, his arms crossed across his chest. ‘’Thought ya just sided with him over Sarah all of a sudden.’’

‘’Why would I trust Khada more than Sarah for no good reason?’’

‘’You tell me.’’ Yasuo said, his mouth in a thin line.

Zed narrowed his eyes. ‘’What are you implying?’’

They simply stared at each other for the next few seconds, none of them about to budge any time soon. That was, until there was a single knock on the door. They both whipped their heads towards the door, which was followed by another three knocks in quick succession. Zed now stood up, approaching the door, as he was still glaring towards the other man.

‘’Who is it.’’ He asked, or more of stated, knowing better than to simply swing it open with a Serial Killer on the loose.

‘’Khada Jhin.’’ Was the reply, coming from a low, smooth voice.

By the way Yasuo’s face split into a grin, Zed was now fully aware of what the other man was implying. He shot him another narrowed-eye glare, before opening the door, and meeting the slightly shorter man straight in the eyes.

‘’What is it?’’ He asked, his tone harsher than he realized, which caused the other man to raise an eyebrow in a seemingly offended expression.

‘’Seems like I am interrupting something. Should I take my leave?’’

‘’No, no, come in!’’ He heard Yasuo reply from inside. ‘’Ignore this asshole. Make yourself at home.’’

Zed took a step to the side, letting the man walk inside, before closing the door.

‘’How can we help?’’

The man removed his hat, a polite gesture as he was indoors after all, and spoke.

‘’A short time after you left, Marshal Lucian came over. He was in contact with the Sheriff, who informed him of a witness of yesterday’s events.’’

‘’A witness?’’ Both men replied simultaneously.

‘’Something of the sorts, at least. He believes he saw someone suspicious at the saloon yesterday, around the time of the murder. Sheriff Caitlyn already took a statement from him, but she thought you two might want to talk to him as well.’’

‘’How…kind of her?’’ Yasuo exclaim. ‘’Suspiciously so.’’ He added in a mumble. ‘’Well, given her attitude yesterday.’’

‘’Where can we find this man?’’ Zed said, ignoring his partner.

‘’I believe he’s in a coffeehouse near the east side of town.’’

‘’A coffeehouse?’’ Zed repeated.

‘’Oh yes. Those wretched stores filled with day-drunks fistfighting over politics while criticizing the government. Lovely places.’’

‘’Well then, why don’t you handle this then, Zed?’’ Yasuo said, an arm hanging around the other man’s shoulders. ‘’Since you’re here to _smash heads in_, after all.’’

He grinned upon the immeasurable amount of glares he was receiving today, as he saw the man roll his eyes at him with a whatever.

‘’Lead the way.’’ He stated to the still-standing man, as both of them put on their hats, and headed out of the inn, upon the blazing, evening sun.

‘’Your partner may not be wrong, If I can say so.’’ He heard Khada say, as they were walking down the street. ‘’That man may not be the most trustworthy source of information, which is why the Sheriff might have send him over to you two.’’

‘’Are you implying he mind be involved in this, covering his tracks or something?’’

‘’Hardly.’’ The slender man replied.

‘’Then? What would he gain from this?’’

‘’The reward the Sheriff issued as of this morning, for any information regarding the Serial Killer.’’

‘’Great.’’ Zed sarcastically replied. ‘’We were having a hard time as it is, now we’ll be filled with fake testimonies.’’

‘’There might be _some _truth in his words.’’ Khada said. ‘’From what I heard, the man is the town’s butcher. I do recall seeing him in the saloon yesterday, before we left, at least.’’

He saw Khada head into a nearby store, pulling the wooden swinging doors open and holding them in place.

‘’After you, my dear.’’

Zed sharply exhaled from his nose, not bothering to overthink if the man was sarcastic or not, and he stepped inside.

True to his word, Khada was absolutely correct of his descriptions of coffeehouses. Tables filled with four or five men at once, filled with alcohol, barely any coffee in sight, and the whole store was brimming with tobacco smoke. Loud conversations mixed with each other, including swears and profanities. Khada stepped besides him, smiling fondly at him, as he walked inside, navigating throughout the crowd towards the back of the store. Zed managed to maneuver himself around the tables as well and follow the man, until he saw him approach a table with two men on it. One was a cowboy, and the other an older man, probably in his late fifties. Khada approached the man, and removed his hat, as they exchanged a handshake. The cowboy left the table with a tip of his hat, leaving the two men with the older male.

‘’Mr. Jones, this is Zed, the detective hired by the Sheriff for the murders.’’

Zed exchanged a short but firm handshake with the older man, who nodded approvingly towards his direction.

‘’Good to meet you, son.’’

‘’Likewise sir.’’ Zed responded, taking a seat. The waitress, a young girl, probably in her late teens, approached the men with a timid smile, which faltered after taking in Zed’s hardly approachable appearance. So Khada took it upon himself to call in for a simple order of two cups of coffee, to which the girl nodded with a slight blush.

‘’Be right back!’’ She exclaimed.

‘’Thank you love.’’ Khada fondly replied, before turning back towards the other men.

‘’Mr. Jones,’’ Zed now said. ‘’Start wherever you want. Anything you saw can help us.’’

The elder man nodded, igniting a match to light up the large, wooden pipe he was holding.

‘’I’m somethin’ of a regular at that saloon.’’ He begun. ‘’My wife ain’t too fond of it, but you know how these things go.’’ He added with a hearty laugh, to which Khada smiled, and Zed completely ignored.

‘’So I’m sittin’ near the bar as usual with a friend, talkin’ about taxes and what-not. That’s when I see someone wearing a black cloak approach the bar, and lean over to talk to the bartender. Didn’t think much of it, it was late at night, might’ve been scared or whatever.’’

_Scared?_ Zed thought. _Of what?_ But he let the man continue. The young girl returned with their order at some point, to which he muttered a quick thank you, ignoring the blush that spread on her freckled cheeks.

‘’Then I see the old bastard grin, may his soul rest, and follow the woman towards the restrooms.’’

Zed blinked rapidly a few times, raising a hand in a stop motion to make the man pause his narration. ‘’H-Hold on a second. A _woman?_ And he _followed _her? Was he not married?’’

‘’He was. But things like that ain’t that much out of the ordinary, son. I just rolled my eyes and ignored it.’’

‘’You said it was a woman.’’ Zed repeated. ‘’Are you sure?’’

‘’Fairly certain.’’ The elder man replied, taking another inhale from the pipe.

‘’Were they not wearing a cloak?’’ He heard Khada chime in. ‘’How can you be certain?’’

‘’Couldn’t see the face, but they had long hair. Fairly long, definitely a woman’s.’’ He turned towards Khada. ‘’No offense, son.’’

‘’..None taken.’’ Khada replied with narrowed eyes, hiding any offense fairly well.

‘’And the fact that the old scoundrel followed her without a second thought just confirms it.’’ The man added.

Zed stared at Khada for a few seconds, and at his long hair, tied behind his head in a bun, before he realized the man was staring back at him with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head, turning back towards the older butcher.

‘’Did you see the woman exit the restrooms?’’

The man nodded. ‘’Alone, of course.’’

‘’_Of course?_’’

‘’Ain’t the first time people jump into the restrooms for somethin’ like this. Usually the lady exits first, as to not raise _suspicion._’’ He let out another laugh, slightly shaking his own head. ‘’Even a blind man could tell what happened, if ya’re askin’ me. She then walked behind the bar, where the back door is, and exited.’’

‘’And the bartender never did.’’ Zed concluded, earning himself another nod.

‘’A poor lad walked in a few minutes later, and found the mess.’’

‘’And, you know what happened next.’’ Khada said, pointing towards his own bandaged forehead with a slender figure.

Zed’s fingers found his own chin, lightly rubbing at it in a thinking motion. ‘’The man was shot through the head. Did you hear any gunshots?’’

The man shook his head negatively, at which Zed frowned. ‘’You didn’t?’’

‘’Can’t recall any, son. You know how loud these places are, especially with the music on top. Still, you'd think I'd hear somethin'. But nothing.’’

Zed fell back on his chair, his sight averted towards the ground. This… was just getting more and more complicated. So, it was a woman, after all…?

‘’Is there anythin’ else I can help ya with?’’ The man asked, to which he shook his head.

‘’No, no. You’ve helped us a lot. Thank you for your time.’’ Zed replied, to which Khada responded with a thank you as well, and they both stood up. He saw the slender man search his vest’s pocket, seemingly for money. He motioned for him to stop, as he left a few dollar bills on the table, more than enough for their order, and nodded for him to follow him outside.

‘’How _gentlemanly _of you.’’ He immediately heard Khada exclaim with a smile. ‘’Thank you.’’

Zed was too lost in his thoughts to respond, his pace slow and eyes staring holes into the ground. So it _was_ a woman, after all. _Was it?_ It seemed like every testimony contradicted the previous one. Every time he heard a new one, the previous one was deflected. What was he even supposed to think, at this point? He felt a pair of amber eyes stare him down from next to him, to which he finally raised his head and looked back. They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Zed blurted out the first thing that came into his mind.

‘’Why did you kiss me?’’

He saw the other man’s eyebrows shoot upwards in a shocked expression, clearly not expecting the question.

‘’How… forward.’’ He commented as he looked away, slightly… bashful? ‘’I did not really give it that much thought.’’

‘’So you just went for it as a joke?’’ Zed insisted, his eyes narrowed.

‘’No, not a joke.’’ Khada quickly amended. ‘’It simply seemed, like the appropriate thing to do.’’

Zed remained silent, as he started walking once more.

‘’Apparently, it was _not_ appropriate. I apologize, if I offended you.’’ He heard the other man now say.

‘’You didn’t.’’ He replied, not really thinking his words over.

‘’I… didn’t?’’

Zed thought it over for a few seconds. He did not feel disgusted, that was for sure, even though they were both men. Surprised, if anything. Did that mean he was interested in the other man? He slightly tilted his head. There were things he wanted to know about the other man. Small things, big things. After all, the other man was still a mystery. One that he found himself, wishing to unravel.

‘’You didn’t.’’ He concluded.

He heard Khada let out a small chuckle. ‘’I am glad to hear that.’’

They separated after he walked Zed back to his inn. As Zed pushed the door open, he turned back towards the other man, to utter a usual goodbye. They both stayed quiet for a little while, however. Simply looking at each other, no words uttered. Khada finally broke into a smile.

‘’Do let me know if I can help with anything.’’ He finally said, to which Zed raised an eyebrow.

‘’..Right.’’ He replied, about to turn around, before he heard a usual chuckle from the other man, which forced him to turn back.

‘’Is something funny?’’ He asked.

‘’Oh no. You simply looked as if… you were _expecting_ something.’’ He said, his eyes narrowed from the grin splitting his face in half.

Zed narrowed his eyes as well. Was the man testing him?

Not knowing what came over him, he felt himself mechanically stride towards the other man, as he abruptly pulled down his own bandana, and roughly smashed his lips over the other man’s, in a violent motion. He felt the shorter man take a step back from the impact, but no other moves to step away were made. After a few seconds, Zed backed off, staring him dead in the eye.

‘’Your shit doesn’t work on me.’’ He declared, as he now pushed the door open and stepped inside the in. He could swear he heard a laugh-filled ‘Are you sure?’ as the door closed, but rolled his eyes, and ignored it, walking upstairs. Pushing the door open to his room, he was met with his companion, sitting upwards on his bed with his back against the wall. He had paper on his lap, chicken-scratching notes on it, probably about the murder. He flicked his attention towards Zed once he entered.

‘’So, how did it go?’’

‘’With the butcher?’’

Yasuo stayed quiet, before grinning widely. ‘’Well, yes? Why, Zed. Did anything else happen?’’

Zed stared at him with a look that could kill for a few seconds, before muttering a _shut up_ and begun undressing from his cowboy-heavy attire. Once Yasuo calmed down from his laughing fit, and Zed had changed into something more comfortable, he sat up on his own bed and narrated the testimony of the elder man.

‘’So as it turns out, we are searching for a woman after all.’’

He noticed how his companion had stayed quiet throughout all of it, no questions asked. Fairly uncommon, coming from him. He saw him slowly frown, and avert his eyes.

‘’What?’’ He asked.

‘’No, just… How trustworthy is that man, exactly?’’

Zed scratched the back of his neck. ‘’Not that much. The Sheriff has issued a reward for any information regarding the case. He could have simply been after the money.’’

He saw Yasuo visibly relax the tension on his shoulders with a sigh. ‘’Oh, that’s… that’s good.’’

‘’_Why, _is it good?’’ Zed asked again, clearly impatient, to which Yasuo glared at him.

‘’Are you an idiot?’’ He simply asked, his tone serious.

Zed remained silent, still wanting to hear an explanation.

‘’What that butcher said… Doesn’t it seem kind of… unfitting?’’ He exclaimed, making a motion with his hand as he was stating something obvious.

Zed frowned, thinking the testimony over. A cloaked figure approaching the bartender. They enter the restrooms together. Only the woman exits. Then she moves behind the counter, leaves though the backdoor. Then she falls on Khada.

Then, she falls on Khada.

_‘’Do you happen to remember his appearance?’’_

_‘’Relatively. A man in a cowboy attire, which doesn’t help much. A purple bandana, a pair of goggles covering what was left unmasked of his face, and a hat covering anything of his hairline. Not much to go by.’’_

Zed’s eyes widened.

‘’It… contradicts..’’

‘’Khada.’’ Yasuo finished for him. ‘’By a longshot, as well.’’

Zed’s hand rushed through his own hair, in an exasperated movement. What was even going on?

‘’But as you said, him giving out false info for the cash ain’t that weird.’’

‘’Yeah, yeah.’’ Zed finally responded, with a few nods of his head, still looking thoughtful. ‘’You’re right.’’

‘’Ah, right. Cass came by while you were gone. Said she wanted a little talk when you’re free.’’

‘’Cassiopeia?’’ Zed now questioned. ‘’What for?’’

‘’When you got shot, the bullet in your leg passed straight through, but the one in your shoulder stayed in. T.F. kept it after it was out, and he gave it to Cass to take a closer look.’’

‘’But why her?’’

His partner shrugged his shoulders. ‘’Says she knows more about magic than he does. She could help.’’

He shook his head in a few motions. ‘’We aren’t really in a spot to refuse help.’’

‘’Pretty much. So go find her when ya feelin’ better.’’

Zed gave in a short sigh. ‘’Can’t even catch a breath.’’ He exclaimed, as he put his hat back on, after changing back.

‘’But why, did someone _steal _your breath?’’ Yasuo cheekily responded with a chuckle.

‘’Shut it.’’ Zed replied, exiting and slamming the door shut on the still laughing man.

* * *

Heading towards the usual saloon in silence and solitude felt unusual, to say the least. Daylight was getting dimmer minute by minute, but he wasn’t worried about anything happening. Funny, he thought to himself. He had gotten so immersed in the murder-every-4-days scenario that his mind didn’t even think about something happening at an odd day. What if that was what the killer planning? Switching his strategy out of a sudden would definitely catch them off guard.

Yasuo’s voice insisting that he’s overthinking things suddenly came into his mind, at which he sighed, as he pushed open the wooden swinging doors of the saloon, stepping inside. His sight immediately shot across the store and to the bar’s counter, behind which he saw a familiar blond woman. She smiled, and waved him to come over, which he complied with, taking a seat on a stool. The store was relatively empty, something he had never seen before, but it was still evening, so he guessed it wasn’t that much of a surprise. Sarah asked if she could get him anything, to which he declined, asking simply for a glass of water, to which she gave a simple nod. Letting the glass on the counter in front of him, she sat cross-legged on a stool behind the counter across the man.

‘’You’re working the bar now?’’ Zed questioned, no malice behind his voice.

‘’For now, yeah. His wife insisted that she should work it herself, even with two young kids waiting for her back home. So I immediately told her that wasn’t happenin’, and offered to take over. Not the best place a woman like her should be in.’’ She finally added.

‘’Aren’t you a woman too?’’ Zed pointed out the obvious.

‘’Are ya doubtin’ me, handsome?’’ She responded, a hearty, over-feminine laugh exiting her lips. ‘’There are different kinds of women ‘round these places. Me and her don’t fit in the same category, if ya catch my drift.’’

‘’No, of course you don't.’’

‘’I’ll take that as a compliment.’’ She replied with a wink.

He rolled his eyes. ‘’Is Cassiopeia around?’’

‘’Yea, servin’. She’ll be right back.’’

He felt his sight pinned to the blond woman, cleaning glasses with slow movements behind the bar with an old cloth. Her movements looked mechanical, and her mind was clearly somewhere else. Not that he could blame her. He could see the sadness in her eyes clear as day.

‘’How are you holding up?’’ He finally asked, his voice low.

Sarah turned and looked at him, slightly surprised, but after a while, she softened up, offering a warm smile.

‘’As best as I can.’’ She casually said, with a small shrug of her shoulder. ‘’This ain’t what I expected to live through when I came here.’’

‘’What were you doing before?’’

‘’Oh, I was a bounty hunter.’’

Zed’s grip on his glass tightened significantly. A bounty hunter…? He paid her appearance a closer inspection. A female bounty hunter. Blonde, a good shot. Two pistols. Being in the business himself, he had his fair amount of encounters with other bounty hunters, often teaming up in order to hunt down criminals, and inevitably splitting the bounties. As far as his knowledge went, there was only one person who matched this woman in the business. Sarah. Sarah... _Fortune?_

‘’Sarah Fortune.’’ He finally uttered.

The woman let out a loud laugh, wiping tears away from her eyes. ‘’Took ya long enough to realize, _Detective._’’

Zed blinked a few times. ‘’So… You know who we are.’’

‘’From the first time we met.’’ She confessed. ‘’The reputation of you two boys has spread nicely. Didn’t expect ya to walk in claimin’ to be detectives, though.’’ She added with another laugh.

‘’You… didn’t tell the Sheriff, right?’’

‘’Why would I?’’ She said, raising an eyebrow. ‘’I get why ya did it. People are more likely to trust a detective on a case than a bounty hunter. Sometimes they fear they’ll make things worse. But, I’ve heard of ya boys’ work before. I wasn’t worried.’’

He felt the tension on his shoulders ease up. ‘’Thank you.’’ He finally managed.

‘’No problem handsome.’’ She winked.

‘’Why did you stop?’’ He finally decided to ask.

‘’Well,’’ She started, re-arranging her cross-legs on the stool. ‘’Everyone needs a break after seeing so much death. At least I did.’’ She admitted, her eyes aimed far away in the distance. ‘’I mean, it’s _Dead or Alive._ But you know how it goes. In almost all cases, it’s _Dead._’’

Zed gave a simply nod.

‘’So, passin’ through this town, I met Cass, who offered a place to stay if I gave her a hand in the bar. Why not, I said. And well, here I am.’’ She finished, her hands pointed towards herself.

‘’Even if it was just six months ago, it surely feels a hell longer.’’ A different woman’s voice was heard, as she slowly approached them with a tray in her slender, gloved hands. ‘’Thanks for stopping by. I know you’re pretty busy.’’ Cassiopeia now said, offering the man a smile.

‘’It’s fine.’’ Zed replied. ‘’Any information is helpful.’’

‘’It’s not much, but I’ll tell ya what I know.’’ She said, sitting on a stool next to his and slowly refilling her tray with drinks. ‘’I took a look at the bullet T.F. took out of your shoulder. Magic was involved, as he already said.’’

Zed nodded, urging her to continue.

‘’The bullet was not made of magic itself. It was _infused_ with magic, and I’m pretty sure the weapon works the same way. I doubt our guy can actually _use_ magic.’’

‘’Are you implying he’s using stolen technology?’’

Cass tapped a finger against her chin, thinking over her next words. ‘’Pretty much. Ionia has made a breakthrough in business lately, selling magic-infused weaponry. Illegally, obviously. If he got it from anywhere, it was from there.’’

‘’That… could explain his heavy outfit. Maybe there’s recoil, from using magic when he can’t control it himself.’’

Cassiopeia nodded in agreement. ‘’I thought the same thing. Thing is, business still hasn’t reached these places. It’s relatively new, and they’re only able to smuggle weapons inside their own nation.’’

‘’So he’s… probably an Ionian.’’

‘’That, or he went over to pick them up. But Ionia is tens of thousands of miles away from here, and a similar distance from other nations. Extremely secluded. So, an Ionian probably. Doubt someone would make that trip twice just for equipment. Unless they got a _benefactor_ or something that helped them get their hands on it.’’

‘’..I see.’’

He felt the woman place a hand reassuringly on his shoulder. ‘’It ain’t much, I know. Just thought you might wanted to know.’’ She said with a half-smile.

‘’No, everything helps at this point. Thank you.’’

Cassiopeia offered him one last smile, before continuing her rounds around the saloon.

By this point, as he took a look around, he found that the store had started to get relatively busy, as per usual. The swinging doors were regularly opened, new customers, almost all of them cowboys, entering and taking a seat wherever they found one. It felt like a home, Zed thought. That was the nice thing about small towns. Everyone knew everyone. He just then noticed a tall figure walk up to him, and sit on the stool next to him, their body turned towards him. Averting his eyes from the crowd, he turned towards the figure.

‘’Marshal?’’ He questioned.

Lucian raised an eyebrow towards him, as Sarah poured the man a glass of whiskey, no orders needed.

‘’Something wrong?’’

‘’No. Didn’t think you were the type to hang out in saloons, is all.’’

The Marshal rolled his eyes, taking a good shot of his glass. ‘’A Marshal’s a man. And every man needs a drink now and then.’’

‘’Can’t argue with that.’’ Zed concluded.

* * *

A few hours later, and Zed had found himself behind the counter, pouring drinks. Sarah had joined Khada on the piano once more, and he found no reason to refuse her to lend a hand when she asked him to cover for her. Not that it was a hard job to do, he found out. Cassiopeia pointed out for him the bottles he had to use, he filled glasses near-brim, and she took over from there. Plus, he had a good view of the place from behind the counter, just in case anything suspicious caught his attention. His attention was finally caught when his companion walked in with T.F., both of them immediately spotting him behind the bar as they took a seat on the stools.

‘’Don’t tell me you ditched me for this.’’ Yasuo said with a laugh, as he saw him pouring a drink.

‘’I’m just lending a hand.’’ He replied with a roll of his eyes, even if he was smiling behind his bandana.

‘’If you ever want a spot, we got you covered.’’ Cassiopeia replied with a grin, as she took the glasses from him, and went on to serve.

‘’Guess there’s something else you’re good at, after all! Well, other than smashing heads.’’ His companion replied, earning a laugh from anyone, until they were caught off by the sound of a new song emitting from the piano’s area. They found Sarah and Khada having switched places, the man now sitting gracefully on the grand instrument, and the woman skillfully playing the keys. Not as skillfully as he did, Zed thought. When he first heard Khada sing, he had to admit he was shocked. The man had an excellent voice, to say the least, which confused him as it was the first time in their visits they had heard him on the vocals.

‘’Well gents, you’re in for a rare show.’’ T.F. declared.

‘’How come we’ve never heard him before?’’ Yasuo questioned, his leg bouncing up and down in the song’s rhythm. ‘’He’s great!’’

T.F. shrugged his shoulders with a smile. ‘’Man’s shy. Keeps to himself. I’ve rarely heard him myself.’’

Yasuo heard Zed mumble something under his breath.

‘’Did ya say somethin’?’’ He asked with a cheeky grin.

‘’I asked if you came here to annoy the _bartender _or order something.’’ Zed replied with a raised eyebrow, to which the other man laughed wholeheartedly.

‘’Hit me up with your strongest!’’

Cassiopeia pointed to a dark-glassed bottle near the edge of the shelf, as she came for refills. Zed poured his companion a drink, nearly slamming it in front of him on the counter. Yasuo leaned over the glass, eyeing the dark, suspicious-looking liquid with a timid look.

‘’Having second thoughts?’’ Zed asked with a chuckle, to which Yasuo glared at him before yanking it off the counter and gulping it down. He then stared at him with wide eyes.

‘’Are ya gonna throw up or die?’’ T.F. asked, drinking his beer with a grin.

‘’Both.’’ Yasuo replied, leaning over the counter and supporting his head with a hand, his eyes still wide. ‘’That’s some strong shit. Damn. Wow.’’

‘’Serves you right.’’ Zed replied with a sharp nose exhale. His eyes scanned the saloon another time, just to be safe than sorry. He was met with another pair, but before they could lock contact, he slightly shook his head and averted his sight elsewhere.

It was a couple of hours after midnight, the saloon still filled to the brim with drunk cowboys. Including them. At some point Yasuo had ended up sitting on the piano with T.F. on his side, arms over each other’s shoulders and singing obnoxiously loud. Zed stared at them in awe with raised eyebrows, unable to form any other response to the sight. Sarah, on the other hand, who still played the instrument, seemed to enjoy their company to the fullest, her laugh accompanying the men’s voices. The crowd surprisingly, was also enjoying the show to the fullest. Lucian had called it a night about half an hour ago, just when he saw the men heading for the piano. Zed regretted not taking the opportunity to leave as well. But he shook his head, and found himself smiling. Seeing the others forget the grave situation they were still in, and enjoying themselves for a night, was more than welcome. He couldn’t blame them, after all. Letting themselves sink into gloom and depression would not lead anywhere. Still staring at his companion make a fool of himself on the piano, the corner of his eye caught a figure sit in front of him on a stool. He turned towards the person, and he found himself staring into an amber pair of eyes for the second time tonight. The other man didn’t say anything, and his expression remained neutral. He seemed to be awaiting for something.

‘’Want a drink?’’ Zed offered, to which he received a roll of his eyes. Khada’s fingertips met his own temples, tracing circles around them.

‘’Sure, why not. My head is already on its way of bursting open.’’

‘’He’s not _that_ bad.’’ Zed replied, glancing towards his partner. Turning back towards the other man, he saw him staring at him with a not so amused look on his face.

‘’..Maybe he is.’’ He admitted, as he passed the man his drink, which he surprisingly, emptied in a few seconds, leaving it back on the counter.

‘’A refill?’’

‘’No, thank you.’’

Zed shrugged his shoulders, as Cassiopeia approached him behind the counter.

‘’I can take it from here.’’ She offered.

‘’Are you sure?’’

‘’Oh yes. Nobody comes from this point on, it’s just refills. I can handle it.’’ She insisted, patting his shoulder a few times. Zed walked out of the space behind the bar, sitting onto the stool next to the other man’s. He stretched his arms over his head, a low grunt escaping his throat.

‘’Tired?’’ Khada asked, his hand in a fist, supporting his own cheek. Zed nodded, pinching the bridge of his own nose with his eyes shut.

‘’How about a change of scenery?’’

His eyes opened immediately, turning over to the other man.

‘’Where?’’

Khada chuckled.

‘’Up for a dive?’’


	3. Act 3

Zed frowned. ‘’A dive? We aren’t close to a sea by a longshot. And I doubt any trains pass through at this hour, if that’s what you’re implying.’’

‘’It is not.’’ Khada replied, stepping off his stool gracefully. ‘’Just a nearby lake.’’

‘’..Are you joking?’’ Zed now asked, to which the other man didn’t reply. He left a few dollar bills on the counter, which Cassiopeia took with a roll of her eyes, before making his way out of the saloon. Zed remained seated, still baffled by the other man’s proposal.

‘’Not gonna follow?’’ He heard Cassiopeia say.

‘’Should I?’’ Zed replied, his tone sarcastic. The woman shrugged her shoulders with a smile.

‘’Might as well take some tension of your shoulders. It could help clear your thoughts.’’

He grunted into his palm, but still, got up. ‘’I doubt it.’’ He replied, before making his way out, ignoring the woman’s chuckle getting further and further away behind him.

Exiting the building, he saw Khada leaning against the wall next to the entrance, his arms crossed over his chest.

‘’Were you waiting for me?’’ Zed asked, the other man turning towards him.

‘’Clearly.’’

‘’I didn’t even answer you.’’ He countered, to which the reply was a smile.

‘’I had a hunch.’’ Khada said, as he began walking west down the street. After a few seconds of standing still in silence, Zed sighed, and started walking, quickly catching up with the other man.

‘’Where exactly is that _change of scenery?_’’ He questioned.

‘’Ten or so miles away.’’ Khada casually replied, as Zed’s eyebrows shot up.

‘’Do you expect me to walk ten miles in the middle of the night?’’

‘’But why, and I thought you were in shape.’’ Khada replied, taken back. But he then smiled, slightly shaking his head. ‘’No, we will not walk.’’ He replied, making a sharp right and turning towards a large building. A stable. He casually swung open the large doors, stepping inside in utter darkness. Zed did not follow, as he simply stayed put outside. After a short while and overhearing a bit of a conversation from inside, he saw the other man re-appear from, a grant, black horse by his side, guiding it by holding its reins.

Zed didn’t even bother to question the situation.

‘’Who were you talking to?’’ He found himself asking instead.

‘’Alice.’’

‘’Who’s Alice?’’

‘’You are looking at her.’’ Khada replied, lifting a slender leg onto the saddle’s stirrup, and gracefully lifting himself onto the mare. He approached the other man, and extended an arm towards him. Zed took it, putting his foot on the stirrup after Khada removed his own, and lifted himself upwards, sitting behind the other man. He felt a rush of gravity pushing him backwards as the mare suddenly accelerated, and he found his arms around the other man’s waist to hold on. He leaned his head downwards and onto the other’s back, shielding himself from the oncoming breeze. Until he realized the other man was still completely exposed.

‘’Are you cold?’’ He asked, his voice low, but loud enough to be heard.

‘’I’m alright. Quite used to it.’’ Was the reply he received, after a few seconds of silence. And back into silence they were, for the rest of their ride. But Zed found himself not minding it. It felt calm, relaxing. Maybe Cassiopeia was right after all.

After exiting a thick path of woods, he found them running along the shore of a large lake, its waters pitch black, and reflecting the moon from above in a few bright shadows, flickering slightly along with the waters. Feeling their pace decelerating, they finally came into a stop. Zed jumped off first, offering a hand to the other man, who swiftly took it, jumping off after him. The mare remained still, obviously well-trained. Zed’s eyes traced over the area, now admiring the beautiful scenery. The only sounds to be heard were the light rustles of the leaves, and a few distant owl calls. He thought that seeing the same sight in daylight, he might have just turned the other way. The night truly brought out its magnificence.

‘’Beautiful, is it not?’’ He heard the other man say, standing by his side. He nodded. The feeling was unusual. Peace, and safety, something along these lines. He walked closer to the waters, just a few inches away from his boots.

‘’Are we supposed to jump in?’’ He sarcastically asked, turning towards the other man, to be met with a naked torso, the man in the middle of removing his shirt, vest and jacket already discarded nearby.

‘’Oh.’’ He simply exclaimed.

The other man smiled, undoing the straps of his own boots after discarding his shirt. Taking them off, he started undoing his belt, and Zed found himself averting his sight. He clearly did not see this coming. Maybe he should have. The sound of splashing water now caught his attention, only to turn towards that direction and be met with the other man, now completely bare, carefully stepping into the lake. He waited until he was covered up to his waist, before he finally spoke.

‘’Cold?’’

Khada was standing still, his slender fingers caressing the water’s surface, being swallowed whole by the dark liquid, only to re-emerge a few seconds later. ‘’Slightly, but comfortably so.’’ He admitted, now turning towards the other man, who was still standing on the shore with his arms crossed. He seemed to be having a sort of internal debate about joining him or not, so he chuckled.

‘’Shy, are we?’’

Zed exhaled from his nose loud enough to be heard, as he removed his hat and started determinably unbuttoning his jacket.

‘’Aren’t you supposed to be the shy one? You don’t seem to have any troubles stripping nude.’’ He spat back, to which he received a laugh.

‘’This, and that are different. I am simply not fond of crowds.’’

‘’Do I not count as a crowd?’’ Zed replied, sliding off his vest.

‘’Hardly.’’

He found no reply to that, and simply continuing shedding off his own clothes. A small voice in the back of his head, kept telling him how this was a bad idea. He knew it himself, no need for voices to step in. Even so, after laying bare, he found himself carefully stepping a foot in the dark, ominous-looking water. It was cold, but refreshingly so. He slowly walked deeper, stepping on the rocks that he could feel at the soles of his feet, resting securely at the bottom of the lake. Finally reaching up to the other man, who was still halted in his steps, looked down, staring at the water-level securely wrapped around his hips. Inhaling a long breath, as if to manage the courage, he knelt down, completely submerging himself in the water. The cold immediately rushed to his head, screaming at him to get out, but slowly and steadily, he managed to relax, and get used to the sudden change in temperature. Still holding his breath, he managed to pry his eyes open, only to see the other man’s bare legs nearby, still standing still. Standing back on his feet, he stood upwards, slightly rubbing his eyes to rid them of any water, and ran a hand through his hair.

‘’Not going to dive?’’ He asked.

‘’Ah, no.’’ Khada replied, pointing a slender finger towards his hair, still tied on the back of his head. ‘’I’ll end up catching a cold, waiting for it to dry.’’

‘’Why don’t you just cut it off then?’’ He asked, even if it sounded more like a statement.

‘’I have grown quite fond of it over the years, to be honest. I can’t bring myself to do it.’’ The reply came, accompanied with a smile. Khada pushed any stray strands of hair behind his ears, before lowering himself downwards, submerged into the water up to his neck. A low sigh escaped his mouth, as his eyes were slowly closed.

‘’Calming.’’ He stated. ‘’Liberating, in a way. As if all sins simply wash off you the second you step foot inside.’’

Zed did the same, and found the bottom low enough for him to sit cross-legged and still have his neck and above emerging.

‘’I would have to stay in here for months to wash away all of my sins.’’ He confessed without thinking it over, his voice low.

This caught the attention of the man next to him. ‘’What kind of sins can a Detective have?’’

Zed just then realized his slip-up. The gears in his mind worked to their fastest of abilities to think up a way to salvage this, but could not come up with anything soon enough as to not raise suspicion.

‘’I… We, are not detectives.’’

He noticed the other man’s expression not changing in the slightest. He simply continued staring at him with calm, thoughtful eyes.

‘’What are you then?’’

‘’Bounty hunters.’’

The pair of amber eyes averted from his own, somewhere to the distance. ‘’I see.’’

Zed felt the atmosphere make a sharp one-eighty from calming to uncomfortably awkward. ‘’We-‘’

‘’No no, you do not need to explain yourself. I am well aware of the government’s reluctance to work with bounty hunters. And after all, both detectives and hunters have the same goal, do they not? To bring the criminal to justice. It is just that in one case they end up with handcuffs on their hands, and a bullet between the eyes on the other.’’

‘’I’m not some bloodlusted murderer. Nor is Yasuo. If it’s within our reach, we bring them in alive.’’ Zed immediately defended.

‘’I was simply joking.’’ Khada clarified, their eyes meeting once more. ‘’I did not expect you to take such offense to it.’’

‘’I didn’t-‘’

He stopped mid-sentence, seeing the smile that spread across the other man’s lips.

‘’Do you enjoy riling me up?’’

Khada stood upwards, as water dripped down his body, staring down at him with narrowed eyes. ‘’Very much so.’’

He abruptly stood up, face merely inches away from the other man’s. Being close, the height difference was more prominent, with the shorter man’s eyes on the level of the taller one’s jawline. Even so, staring down at him in a way that could be interpreted as menacing, Khada remained calm, standing his ground. This only fueled Zed’s annoyance.

‘’You’re really pushing your luck.’’ He warned, his tone low, and gravy.

The reply he received was a slender arm, slowly hooking around his neck, and forcing him to lean forward, until his lips met the other man’s. He kept his eyes open, looking at Khada’s closed ones, until they reopened, as their contact broke off. No words were said. There was simply no need to. Zed grabbed the other man’s wrist, pulling him harshly along, as he slowly marched out of the water. Being on the shore once more, he tugged on the wrist, bringing the man along with himself on the grass-filled ground. Needful hands grabbed the slender man’s waist, bringing him closer for a much, much more serious kiss. Glaring into the amber pair of eyes, Khada took the hint and let the other man into his mouth, a tongue viciously attacking his own. A low moan escaped his lips, which only riled up Zed even more, his hand shooting downwards and between the other man’s legs, earning another sound from the slender figure. A still wet from the water finger traced around the man’s entrance, as Zed leaned even lower, forcing the other man on his back.

‘’Quite… hasty, are we?’’ He heard him say, the usual cheeky tone long gone. His answer was a quick movement of his hand, his finger shoved inside in a slick motion. Khada gasped, his eyes closed, and a hand gripped the other man’s shoulder, nails digging in the flesh.

‘’You brought this upon yourself.’’ Zed stated, before sliding a second finger inside the man.

‘’Can’t… argue w-‘’

His voice was cut off by a gasp, as he felt a different hand wrap around his front and lightly tighten around it, before slowly starting to move up and down. After a few rasped breaths, he moved his own hand forwards, wrapping around the other man in the same way it was being done to him. He barely heard the low sound that escaped Zed’s throat, but it was enough for him, as he leaned forward, and whispered something in his ear. Zed sharply exhaled from his nose, before removing his fingers, and pushing the man back on the ground. He grabbed the slender pair of legs, raising them both above his shoulder, before lining himself up with the other man. And in a quick motion, he was inside him.

He hadn’t done something like this in a good while, which only stirred him up more. He wasn’t one actively seeking for encounters like these, and all of his experiences were in brothels for a simple night, no strings attached. But this, was different. Testing the boundaries, he thrusted harshly into the other man, the moan that escaped the other’s lips music to his ears. He enjoyed the sight laid bare in front of him. Seeing the man’s flushed face, his disoriented glossy eyes, and his usual calm, and snarky attitude gone, replaced with shame and pleasure, was exhilarating. He continued his movements with the same force, knowing the man could obviously handle it.

‘’S-Slow.. down.’’ He barely heard the words, mixed with badly muffled moans.

‘’What for?’’ He replied, as calm as he could in the situation he was in. Khada didn’t reply, simply looked deep within the other man’s crimson eyes, a pleading look clearly visible. Zed leaned down and grabbed his chin, bringing their lips together once more, not slowing down for a single second. A few more minutes of the same pace was all it took to bring them both to orgasm, panting heavily as Zed slid out. He found his eyes aimed towards the man’s entrance, enjoying the sight of the white, thick liquid that slowly traced out.

‘’Such a pervert.’’ He heard, alongside a chuckle.

‘’Speak for yourself.’’ He replied, as he found himself leaning backwards, the feeling of grass under his back strangely welcoming.

The rest few minutes were spent in silence. Once again, none of them minded it. They had both got dressed up by now, and were simply sitting near the shore. Until Zed turned towards the other man, with a thoughtful expression.

‘’Ask away.’’ He replied, as if it was obvious to him that something was in Zed’s mind.

‘’Have you ever killed someone?’’

Khada raised an eyebrow. ‘’Now that’s a highly questionable topic of small-talk. Especially after _such_ activities.’’

Zed rolled his eyes, but awaited for a response.

‘’I have.’’

‘’In self-defense?’’

Khada remained silent, but slowly, a smile stretched across his lips. ‘’In a way.’’ He finally answered.

He was not satisfied with the answer, but decided to drop this subject. He wasn’t sure what he expected to get out of it, but clearly, whatever it was, he didn’t receive it.

‘’..We should get back. Your partner might be worried.’’

‘’Or passed out drunk.’’ Zed commented, but they still departed shortly after.

And passed out drunk he did find him. Yasuo was half-on half-off the bed, his loud snoring echoing around the room. Zed resisted the urge to yank the man off the bed and watch him land on the floor, instead taking off his forgotten boots and pulling him up so his whole body was on the mattress. And after undressing himself, he fell into a calm, well-needed sleep.

* * *

He woke up to the loud sound of birds chirping outside, and to sunshine blazing down upon him. Rubbing his eyes he sat up, looking across the room, to see his partner on his bed, leaning against the wall with a newspaper on his hands.

‘’Slept well?’’

Zed nodded.

‘’So. Where were you yesterday?’’

He somehow hoped for Yasuo to simply forget his absence over his drunken state, but clearly, he had no such luck.

‘’I, did something… _questionable_.’’ He admitted. After all, they had known each other ever since they were brats. No secrets between them.

‘’Did ya get it on with Khada?’’

He finally turned his head towards the other man, his eyes slightly wide in shock. Yasuo of course, noticed that.

‘’Damn, ya did? Geez, you guys are quick.’’

He blinked a few times, in quick succession. ‘’How..’’

‘’Oh please Zed. I ain’t blind. I’ve seen him looking at you. In _questionable _ways. So I told him exactly that.’’

‘’Told him what?’’ He quickly replied.

‘’That if he wanted to go for it, he had my blessing. Didn’t expect it to happen literally the same day though.’’ Yasuo said with a grin.

‘’Go fuck yourself.’’ Was the only appropriate reply, and the one he went with.

The rest of their day, was relatively peaceful. Paying a visit to T.F., helping Sarah and Cass ready the saloon, and spending their evening drinking. They felt as if they could get used to it. Until the fourth day came, following the last murder. And that was when, something unexpected happened. Something none of them had predicted, and came as an absolute shock.

Nothing happened.

The night passed as calm as it came. No murders happened, no bodies were found. Nobody saw, or heard anything.

‘’Maybe he finally _fucked off._’’ Sarah said, shoving a piece of cloth inside a glass, twisting it around in order to clean it.

‘’Or lost count of the days?’’ T.F. replied, as he arranged the chairs around a table.

‘’Who loses count after doin’ somethin’ like that seventeen times in a damn row?’’ The Marshal asked, sitting on a stool near the bar, a cigar between his fingers.

Zed’s hand supported his own face, leaning on the counter with a thoughtful expression. It certainly was odd. What was the killer trying to achieve? Confuse them, into believing that they had finally stopped? Or… had they actually stopped? And what if Sarah was right, and they were finally gone? They still had no leads as to their identity. Were they simply expected to go on with their lives, as if nothing happened? Or go on, chasing after thin air?

‘’Zed.’’

What if they had really lost count? At least by now, they knew _when_ to expect the worse. They could prepare for it. Make a plan. Now, not knowing when anything might happen… Were they trying to make them paranoid?

_‘’Zed.’’_

‘’What?’’ He said, turning around towards the source’s voice. He saw Khada leaning under the grand piano’s lid, his sleeves raised up to his elbows.

‘’There is a small black box behind the counter, in the top shelf. Can you reach it for me?’’

Zed leaned over the counter, his hand aimlessly searching the shelf on the other side, until it was met with a square shape. Pulling it out and inspecting it, it had a silver sort of wire inside. He got up, bringing it to the other man.

‘’What is it?’’

‘’Steel wire. For cleaning the piano strings.’’ Khada replied, arching an arm out to receive the item. As the limb was extended however, it nudged the lid’s prop, causing it to come crashing down over him. And it would, if Zed’s arm hadn’t instinctively reach out and pull the man away in a split second.

The lid crushed down with a deafening sound, dust spreading around the area. For a few seconds, the only sound to be heard was Khada’s slightly irregular breathing.

‘’Are you an idiot?!’’ Zed questioned, his hand still digging harshly into the other man’s arm. ‘’Are you _trying_ to get killed?’’

Khada opened his mouth, but slowly closed it once more. His eyes looked distressed, rapidly blinking. Sarah had leaped over the counter, reaching the men with a quick sprint. Her hands were immediately placed on the man’s shoulders, looking at him from head to toes.

‘’Ya weren’t hurt, right?’’ She quickly asked, to which the man shook his head negatively.

‘’No..no I’m quite fine.’’ He turned towards Zed, whose grip was still on the other’s arm. ‘’..Thank you.’’

Zed huffed through his nose and yanked his hand off, his eyes averted away in annoyance. ‘’Don’t thank me. Just get your head out of your ass and be careful.’’

Khada was clearly not one to use such language, opposite of Zed and the others. ‘’I…Y-Yes, I’ll, do just that.’’

‘’Zed! A hand please?’’

Hearing a woman’s voice from outside the store saved them both from an awkward continuation of the conversation, as he quickly made his way outside. Cassiopeia had just unloaded several crates filled with alcohol, and seemingly needed help getting them inside.

‘’What was all that ruckus?’’ She questioned, handing a crate to the man, who easily lifted it.

‘’Khada almost lost his head in the piano.’’ He replied with a roll of his eyes, a frown still visible on his face.

She was visibly a little worried, but still held her composure. ‘’Judging by the silence inside and the _almost_ I guess he’s alright?’’ She received a nod, as Zed started making rounds in and out. After finally bringing everything inside, he removed his hat and wiped a hand across his forehead, sticky with sweat by this point.

‘’Hey.’’

He turned towards the voice, to be met with Yasuo’s friendly smile.

‘’Wanna chat?’’

‘’..Sure.’’

Yasuo led him outside, towards the back of the saloon, where they sat down against the wall, enjoying the store’s shadow that was coolly cast down upon them.

‘’Did.. something happen?’’

‘’No no, nothin’ happened.’’ Yasuo quickly replied, waving a hand dismissively in front of him. ‘’I just, you know. Wanted to talk about our _situation_.’’

Zed raised a curious eyebrow. ‘’You mean the murders?’’

‘’Well, that too I guess.’’ He replied. He removed his own hat, leaving it on the ground next to him, as his hand made its way to the back of his neck, rubbing the spot in an awkward manner. ‘’After we deal with that killer, which we _will,_’’ He determinably said, ‘’What.. are our plans?’’

Zed thought about this for a bit. ‘’Keep moving, I guess?’’ He said, his eyes upwards, staring at the bright, blue sky. ‘’Onto the next town, until we get called in again?’’

‘’..Right.’’ His companion replied. Zed noticed the gloomy tone of his voice, turning to face him.

‘’Did you have something else in mind?’’

Yasuo’s hand moved, to now awkwardly scratch at his own neck. ‘’Well…’’

They had been together for way too long. Ever since they were brats. There were _no_ secrets, between them. Even, when they tried.

‘’Are you thinking of staying here?’’

Yasuo’s sight fell on the ground, followed by silence. He took a long inhale, and slowly exhaled.

‘’Yeah. I mean, not _forever._ Hell, we’ve been on the road for way too long, I doubt we’ll _ever_ completely settle in somewhere.’’ His fingers were tracing the handle of his katana, securely hanging from the sheath on his waist. ‘’But… maybe for a while? Would it be so bad?’’

Zed admittedly never thought about it. He could not deny that apart from the obvious, which were the serial killings, he enjoyed his everyday life in this small town. Good company, good booze, good laughs. What else could a man want?

‘’But, hey.’’ He felt a hand firmly grasping his shoulder, in a reassuring way. ‘’If ya wanna move on, I’m followin’. We ain’t gonna separate.’’ Yasuo said, a confident, but earnest grin across his face.

Zed looked away for a few seconds. His hand slowly was raised towards his own face, lowering the bandana covering half of it. Yasuo could now see the honest smile on his face, matching his own.

‘’No harm in staying, I suppose.’’ He finally said. ‘’Until they get sick of us and kick us out, at least.’’

Yasuo’s laugh filled the air. ‘’That’s the spirit!’’

They heard a sequence of short-lived sounds, like rocks hitting the ground. Turning around, they saw a man on the corner, his hand in a knocking motion against the wall.

‘’Pardon the interruption.’’ He said with a timid smile.

‘’Nah, no interruption.’’ Yasuo replied. ‘’Can we help?’’

‘’Sarah would love some help, if you aren’t too busy.’’

‘’Sure thing.’’ Yasuo replied, putting his hat back on its respective place. ‘’Talk to ya later.’’ He said, nodding his head towards Zed’s direction.

‘’Why only him?’’ The latter asked.

‘’She offered to let you have some rest, you _were_ lifting some heavy weights after all.’’

Zed let out a thoughtful sound, as he now saw the man making his way next to him, sitting on his side.

‘’May we speak?’’

‘’Everyone wants to talk today.’’ Zed casually said, to which he received a chuckle.

‘’I can leave you alone, if you wish.’’

Zed rolled his eyes. ‘’Something on your mind?’’ He replied, as if never having heard the man’s previous sentence.

Khada inhaled a deep breath. ‘’Several things, to be honest. First and foremost, an apology, for earlier. I acted recklessly, and I did not mean to enrage you as such. Again, I apologize.’’

_‘’Enrage?’’_ Zed’s head was immediately whipped towards the other man. ‘I was worried, you _moron._’’

He noticed the same distressed look in the amber eyes as he had earlier, quickly straying away from his own. Was it really the language? He highly doubted it. Being a cowboy himself in the far west, there was no way he did not hear such words on a regular basis. _Much_ worse than that.

Khada attempted to push a strand of hair behind his own hear, only to find his fingers grasp around nothing. ‘’Even so.’’ He finally spoke. ‘’I apologize, and thank you.’’

Zed pinched the bridge of his own nose, with a long exhale. ‘’Is that all?’’

‘’I.. wanted to converse about something else as well. If, that’s alright.’’

Zed shrugged his shoulders, feigning indifference. Not as if he didn’t know already where this was headed.

‘’I’d like to talk about our… _incident, _from a few days ago.’’ He stated, after a clear of his throat.

‘’..Right.’’ Zed replied, after a click of his tongue. He glanced to his side, seeing the other man visibly lost at words, not sure how to phrase his mind. His brows were furrowed, and his sight was set on the ground.

‘’Spit it out.’’ Zed urged.

‘’..Of course.’’ Khada replied, seemingly having made up his mind, as he finally made eye contact. ‘’I am very much aware of your recent behavior, as of that _incident._ I simply wanted to clear the ground. Doing something like that once, does not mean that we have any ties, or that you owe me something of any nature. If you wish to continue as if nothing ever happened, I shall comply.’’

Zed retained the eye contact, his eyes slightly narrowed. He did not believe his attitude has changed over the past few days. Perhaps today, he might have acted differently towards him, even going to the point of insulting him. But he had his reasons, it was justified. Was the man going somewhere with this? What was he aiming for?

Was he insecure?

Zed was never one for relationships. He did not believe that a lover was something he wanted, or needed in his life. And that was how it had always been. When he really needed to let off some steam, a random woman for a night would suffice. That was enough. Was he really on the wrong here? Had he been unconsciously pushing the other man away from him? _Did_ he even want the man to stay close? Instead of asking what was really on his mind, his mouth, as if having a mind of its own, spoke by itself.

‘’Were you even _serious_ about that?’’

The look on Khada Jhin’s face, was one he had never seen before. It was one filled with anger, disappointment, and _disgust_, all mixed together in a cruel expression. He abruptly stood up, his fists tightly clenched.

‘’Is _that_ your view of me? A prostitute?’’ He spat, his tone coated with venom.

‘’That’s not-‘’

_‘’Excuse me.’’_ The man declared, as he walked away, not interested in anything he had to say, nor waiting for him to finish.

Zed could only sigh. Maybe it _was_ his fault, in the end. He couldn’t help it. That’s just how he was. Relationships, were just not something meant for him. After a short while of silence, he finally got up, walking back towards the saloon’s entrance, to be met with his partner. By the look of his eyes, he probably knew of the situation.

‘’The hell did you do? I saw him storm off.’’

‘’I didn’t do anything. He misunderstood.’’

Yasuo was visibly not impressed. ‘’Uh-huh. Gonna apologize?’’

Zed raised an indifferent eyebrow. ‘’I have nothing to apologize for. If he wants to make his own assumptions, he can go ahead. It isn’t any of my business.’’

‘’You’re gonna end up dying alone in some hole if you keep this up.’’

He ignored the words spoken to him, as he stepped inside the store.

* * *

T.F. shuffled the cards without the need to look at them. Instead, his sight was set across the bar, towards the piano, where Sarah was seated, and singing her heart out. Zed was once more assisting Cassiopeia in the bar, so T.F. was enjoying a few games with Yasuo and the Marshal, sitting in a secluded corner of the store.

‘’How come Khada Jhin is not here?’’ The Marshal spoke. ‘’Seems unusual, after seeing him here every night.’’

‘’Felt a little sick. He’s restin’.’’ T.F. replied, picking up his cards after he finished dealing them.

Yasuo looked around the saloon, seeing the usual cheery mood significantly lessened. ‘’Guess there's people coming here for something other than drinks and Sarah, huh?’’

‘’Ah yes, our musician is held dear.’’ T.F. replied, with an overly-sweet smile. ‘’Quite popular. Doubt there’s anyone he can’t swipe off his feet.’’

‘’Don’t be too sure.’’ Yasuo mumbled into his drink, as he glared towards the bar. T.F. barely caught his words, following his line of sight towards the man behind the counter.

‘’That explains it.’’ He said, an eyebrow raised.

Lucian did not comment, not sure what they were referring to. And thus he played his hand, and the night continued fairly normal.

Three more days passed. And once more, nothing happened. No murders, and no sight of the killer. The small town’s mood seemed heavily lifted, as if nothing had even happened in the first place. It’s fascinating, how people tend to focus on the good things in life, and ignore the bad ones altogether.

Another night in the saloon. After Sarah finished her song, she quickly made her way towards the men’s table, casting winks and smiles all around her on her way there. Reaching the table Yasuo and T.F. were quietly sitting, she slammed her hand hard into it, glasses jumping in place and clattering before stabilizing once more. She clearly caught their attention, wide eyes staring at her. She leaned closer to the sword-wielding man, tapping a finger against his chest.

‘’Go tell your pal over in the bar to apologize to his _fucking_ boyfriend or he’s gonna get it. My voice is gone and we’re losing customers.’’

Instead of arguing as to why she wasn’t letting the man know himself, Yasuo found himself nodding several times. The look on the woman’s face was obviously pissed, and yelling that she wasn’t messing around. Quickly standing up, he rushed to the bar, the woman’s glare burying knives into his back on his way there.

‘’Hey there.’’ He said, gaining the other man’s attention. Zed raised an eyebrow, awaiting for more.

‘’Yea, so.’’ He cleared his throat, leaning closer as to keep their conversation private. ‘’Sarah’s kinda pissed. _Really_ pissed.’’

‘’What for?’’ Zed questioned, clearly ignorant of the situation.

‘’Well, I don’t know. Maybe cause it’s your fault Khada’s been gone for half a week, the mood’s ruined and Sarah can barely talk from all that singin’.’’

Zed frowned, clearly offended, and about to speak up, before a hand was held in front of him, urging him to stop.

‘’So. How about you go find him and apologize for once in your life? For your own sake. Uh, that, or she’ll kind of beat you up. For real. Chick’s crazy scary.’’

Zed did not budge. ‘’I told you, there’s nothing to apologize about.’’

‘’Fine, don’t apologize. Just talk. Clear this shit out. We’re _staying_, remember? We liked how things were. Don’t ruin it now because of some childish bickering.’’

Zed was quiet, seemingly counting his options. Until his sight fell upon a blonde woman in the distance. And, well, her murderous glare.

‘’Fine. I’ll go.’’ He said, continuing to pour drinks.

‘’Yeah. _Now._’’ Yasuo replied, leaping over the counter and behind the bar.

‘’I-‘’

‘’I’ll handle the bar. Get lost.’’

Zed exhaled sharply from his nose, shaking his head, as he made his way out of the saloon, and into the cold, night breeze. This was irrational, he thought. Why was he the one that had to ditch his pride and go seek for forgiveness? This wasn’t him. It had _never_ been him. He contemplated simply going back to their inn, when his partner’s words from earlier made their way into his mind.

_‘’You’re gonna end up dying alone in some hole if you keep this up.’’_

He grunted, as he started striding forwards, his fists clenched on his sides. ‘’Good. Maybe I want to die alone.’’ He barked out, even if there was nobody around to listen, or answer him.

Still, he found himself reaching the door to Tobias’ house, swinging it open and slowly closing it behind. Before his determination could fail him, he walked up the stairs, and stood outside a certain door. He could still leave, he reminded himself. There was no need to do this. No reason, whatsoever. He didn’t own anything to the other man, he said it himself.

He knocked three times, and received no answer.

He knocked once more, or more of _slammed_ his fist onto the wood.

‘’May I _help? _’’ Finally, he heard an obviously sarcastic and annoyed voice, coming from inside.

‘’Open up.’’ He declared, his voice enough to speak for his identity, if the 'knocking' didn't already give it away.

‘’I’m certain we covered anything there was to cover on our previous encounter.’’ The voice replied, clearly indifferent. Obviously, this only infuriated him more.

‘’Open the door or I’m gonna kick it _down._’’ He hissed, his voice raising on the last word. There was silence, and as he was about to follow through with his words, it finally was unlocked, and a visibly annoyed man emerged from the other side.

‘’Keep those threats to yourself.’’ He stated, his tone firm, but still stepped aside, letting him inside.

‘’I did not come here to fight or threaten you. I just want to..’’ _Apologize?_ ‘’Explain.’’ Zed calmly said, taking a seat across the room’s bed, where the other man was now seated. Cross-legged and his arms crossed over his chest, his whole body screamed indifference and irritation.

‘’Very well. Explain.’’

But what was he supposed to explain? He hadn’t thought about it, he only just now realized. In his mind, he was still flawless. He acted in no wrong way whatsoever. Remaining silent for a few seconds, attempting to form his next sentences in his mind, didn’t seem to mind on the other man’s part. He retained his posture, awaiting patiently.

‘’..First things first.’’ Zed begun. ‘’I did not call you a wh- prostitute.’’ He quickly corrected, reminding himself of the other man’s always polite choice of words. ‘’I simply asked how serious were you about what happened. Did you just want to let off some steam? Do you actually _want_ something to do with me?’’ Zed was getting frustrated, clearly not getting his message across as he hoped he would. He scratched the back of his neck, his sight on the ground. ‘’I’m no good at these kind of things.’’ He admitted, his voice lower than intended.

‘’Clearly not.’’ The other male scoffed, but ultimately let out a soft sigh. ‘’I _do_ want ‘something’ to do with you. It is obvious enough to your partner, how come it is not to you? And I doubt I simply suggested to share a bed with you the moment we met. I have been going slowly with this, testing the grounds, and attempting my best at getting my intentions across. Have I not?’’

Zed felt backed against a wall, the man making obviously valid points, and he was half-assing his own.

‘’You should be the one explaining, not me.’’ Khada spoke once more. ‘’Would you simply speak your mind? I am trying my utmost hardest to understand your perspective. Do help me.’’

‘’Fine.’’ Zed stated as he raised his head, his eyes meeting the other man’s, amber ones. ‘’I don’t _know,_ what you want from me.’’

Khada raised an eyebrow, but stayed silent.

‘’You said that my attitude against you has changed. Maybe it has, I don’t know. I didn’t think anything of it until you brought it up. Hell, I-‘’

He cut himself off. Where was he going with this? Probably nowhere. He rubbed two fingers over his closed eyes, circling the eyelids in a tired manner. He looked up to the other man once more.

‘’I’ve had sex before.’’ He stated.

‘’Yes..?’’ Khada agreed, his expression visibly confused.

‘’With _whores._’’ He clarified, noticing the slight frown of the other man’s eyebrows. ‘’Women, willing to spread their legs for some bills. That’s it. I can’t even remember their faces. Not one of them.’’

Khada seemed skeptical, but kept his lips tightly closed, knowing there was more to this.

‘’And then… there’s you.’’

He stopped, leaving the rest unsaid.

Khada Jhin however, was a smart man. More than he would let out to others. He slowly stood up, and walked the few steps worth of distance from the other man, as he slowly kneeled on the floor, looking up at him.

‘’Are you interested in me, Zed?’’

Zed frowned. ‘’Interested?’’

‘’Yes, romantically. Sexually as well, but that’s out of the question as of recent.’’ He said with a slight smile, clearly attempting to lighten up the gloomy, and heavy atmosphere. Zed thought about it.

‘’I don’t know.’’

A bad, bad reply. He knew it. But it was an honest one. The other man was clearly unsatisfied, and frustrated. He let out an extended exhale, a few fingers wrapped around his own chin, thinking the situation over.

‘’Do tell me. What do you think of me? When your eyes meet mine, what goes through your mind? I would appreciate honesty, if that’s alright.’’

Zed’s mouth was open before he realized it. ‘’You’re strange.’’ He admitted. ‘’There’s lot I don’t know about you. Not lot, mostly _everything_. You don’t let out much, and even if I asked, I’m not sure I would get an answer. I find myself thinking, where is he from? What was he doing before he came here? Since when can he sing, since when can he play the piano? What would be his likes, and dislikes? And I have no answers to any of this.’’ He averted his sight from the other man, aimlessly looking outside the nearby window. ‘’And then we had that argument, and I see you get mad. It shocked me. Hell, I didn’t even know you _could_ get mad. And it just confirmed what I thought. That I don’t know anything about you.’’

Khada was paying close attention to every single one of his words, eyes pinned on him throughout this monologue.

‘’And?’’ He asked. ‘’Do you wish to know? All of these questions of yours, do you want the answers?’’

Zed’s head turned back towards his, eyes locking once more. ‘’Yes.’’ He admitted, as he saw a smile spread on the other man’s face, before he leaned upwards, and brought his lips on his own. Zed wasn’t sure how to act, knowing that the man was clearly irritated with his awful excuses, but still, found himself returning the kiss, slightly leaning his head for better access.

Khada leaned back after breaking their contact, his eyes closed, and the smile firmly holding its place.

‘’That’s good enough.’’ He stated.

‘’Is it?’’ Zed replied, half-confused and half-sarcastic.

‘’Oh yes. I know have a much better understanding of your point of view. I expected it to be worse.’’

Zed frowned, not sure what the other man was hinting at, but shook his head nevertheless.

‘’So, are we clear?’’ He asked.

‘’Very much so.’’ Khada replied as he stood up, extending a hand to help the other up, which Zed, gladly took.

* * *

‘’Oh thank heavens.’’ The blonde exclaimed, running across the saloon and wrapping her arms around the man’s neck. ‘’I thought I was gonna go mute if I did this any longer. How do ya even manage it?’’

Khada chuckled. ‘’Talent, love. Talent.’’ He exclaimed, offering warm smiles to the cowboys that cheered at his entrance as he made his way towards the piano. Cracking his fingers as he stretched his arms in front of him, a familiar, and well-received tune filled the store.

Yasuo turned towards his partner who had just taken a seat, slapping his back in a friendly manner, maybe harder than it should have been.

‘’See? Told ya you could do it.’’

‘’Shut it.’’ He rolled his eyes, nodding towards the familiar waitress’ direction when their eyes met. As if there was some secret signal between them, a drink was soon brought over to him, enjoying its cold taste more than usual. He felt at peace. At least, a part of him did. Another part of him was anxious, and awaiting the worse. As much as he wanted to simply relax, and enjoy life for how it was, he still held back. And for a good reason. His consciousness kept reminding him that there was a Serial Killer on the loose. Even if there were no killings as of recently, that mattered little. The man, or woman, were still there. He could feel it. A cold, unwelcoming, and threatening feeling. He was certain. They were still in town.

‘’Hey, stop.’’ He heard Yasuo’s familiar voice. There was no reason to further explain, Zed was fully aware of what he was referring to.

‘’I can’t help it.’’ He admitted. ‘’I can’t understand how everyone is just drinking and partying like nothing even happened.’’

‘’That’s the spirit, my friend. Shove everything bad under the rug and enjoy life.’’ Yasuo beamed with a grin.

Zed shook his head. ‘’Sometimes I wish I was as carefree as you.’’

‘’Well, every team needs a good cop and a bad cop. Sorry, but the roles are filled.’’

Zed smiled at that, and managed to enjoy the rest of the evening as much as everyone else. Some games of cards, some obnoxious singing combos from Yasuo and T.F., and a dancing match much later on concluded the night. But eventually, he grew tired of it. He could pretend that everything was fine, but not for long. So after excusing himself, he took his leave. The usual breeze hit him face-on as soon as he stepped foot in the street, but lowered his hat and shrugged it off. Taking some first few steps, he found himself halting, as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Somehow the touch was familiar, and he wasn’t surprised to see Khada as he turned towards his direction.

‘’May I walk you to your inn?’’ He asked.

Zed raised an eyebrow, hidden below his hat. ‘’Aren’t you worried about returning alone?’’

‘’The distance is relatively short, and I am armed.’’ He stated, patting the filled gun pouch by his side. ‘’Worry not.’’

He eventually nodded, and didn’t ask why he insisted to walk him back, if the distance was _relatively short._

‘’Are you alright?’’ He heard the other man’s voice. ‘’You seem, skeptical. For a few hours now.’’

‘’Is it that obvious?’’ He sighed, thinking that he made a valiant effort of covering it.

‘’Maybe you fooled the others, but not me. So, may I know what’s tearing you apart?’’

‘’Tearing me apart? Strong words.’’ Zed chuckled.

‘’Is it the Serial Killer?’’ Khada asked, or more of stated, earning a single nod in return. ‘’Haven’t the killings stopped? I thought you would be delighted by the turn of events.’’

‘’I am. Still..’’ He let out another short sigh. ‘’I can’t simply sleep this off, you know? They’re still here. I’m sure of it. I don’t know why they stopped, but they’re_ definitely_ around.’’

‘’How… certain.’’ The slender man noted.

‘’It’s just my gut. Been right thus far, so I’m going with it.’’ He finished, and walked for a few seconds in silence, his sight aimed at the ground, away from the other man. ‘’Sometimes, I close my eyes, and I see that man. The bartender, in the back of the restrooms. Just… laying there.’’

‘’It must have been gruesome.’’ Khada agreed with a firm nod. ‘’I am sorry you had to see something like this. I am aware you must have seen quite some death before, but this… It must be different.’’

‘’It is.’’ He agreed. ‘’And we still don’t know which wound killed him. How is anyone even supposed to know? It could have been either of them.’’ He lowered his sight once more. ‘’Does it even matter?’’

‘’A shot through the head and removal of intestines, correct?’’ Khada recited, and Zed nodded, as the other man looked skeptical for a few seconds. ‘’It _is_ a Serial Killer, after all. And most of his victims have ended up in… quite the _unfortunate_ shape. Perhaps he began with the intestines, and the shot was simply to be certain of the death.’’

Zed thought about it, finding himself nodding. ‘’You’re… probably right. What meaning does it have to kill someone with a shot in the head, and _then_ gut them? Reversed, it makes sense. As torture.’’

‘’My thoughts exactly.’’

Zed looked up, realizing that they had reached his destinations. ‘’I need to find an end to this.’’ He stated, turning towards the other man.

‘'And what if you don’t?’’

Zed’s look was determined, to the point of no doubt. ‘’I will. This town has seen too much death, and someone has to put a stop on it.’’

‘’Which will be you, I presume.’’ The reply came, accompanied with a warm smile. ‘’Such confidence. Perhaps the Sheriff should be afraid of her position. She has competition.’’ He added with a low chuckle.

Zed found himself smiling as he pushed the inn’s door open, slightly turning back to the other man over his shoulder. ‘’Well, take care on your way back.’’ He offered. The man smiled weakly, but nodded.

‘’Right. I will.’’ He said, turning heel to leave, only to find his elbow suddenly caught in a firm grip that pulled him back. Before he could properly react, his lips were caught in another pair’s, only for a few seconds, before breaking apart. Slowly opening his mouth to speak, slightly dumbfounded, he was cut off.

‘’Don’t think too much of it.’’ Zed stated, his eyes averted from the other’s, in an almost bashful way. ‘’Good night.’’ He said as he entered the inn, enjoying the warm laugh that could still be heard.

‘’I wish you the same.’’


	4. Act 4

‘’It’s not a woman.’’ The Marshal stated, as he put down the cup of bitter, steaming coffee. ‘’Me and the Sheriff searched the whole town upside down. Knocked on every door. No woman fits the description and the leads we have thus far. The only foreign to the town at the moment is you.’’ He added, nodding slightly towards the blonde female sitting across of him. ‘’The rest are all housewives. Have been here for years. And Sarah's out of suspicion.’’

‘’So the butcher lied.’’ Yasuo concluded, a thoughtful look on his face.

‘’Not necessarily.’’ Zed spoke up. ‘_’’Long hair. Fairly long, definitely a woman’s.’_ Those were his words.’’

‘’So it could still be a man, with long, dark hair.’’ T.F. concluded, as he raised his sight, suspiciously looking around the room.

There was silence for the following seconds, before T.F. frowned in disappointment.

Sarah as well, quickly took on in the realization, as she frowned as well. ‘’Damn, do all of ya guys have long hair in here?’’

‘’I don’t.’’ Zed noted.

‘’Wait, didn’t we already rule out the butcher’s statement?’’ Yasuo quickly pointed out. ‘’It didn’t match with Khada’s.’’

‘’Khada Jhin _did_ end up with a head injury, in case you forgot.’’ Lucian replied. ‘’We can’t trust his memory to be a hundred percent correct. And taking a look at civilian’s testimony never hurts. I prefer to be safe than sorry.’’

And so went on the rest of their conversation, comparing leads, testimonies, and speculations. Some spoke more than the others, some spoke less, for reasons still unknown. Realizing that they had spent hours going back and forth, they finally decided to call it a night, and since Sarah had decided to keep the saloon shut tonight, as to pay a visit to the late owner’s family, everyone headed back towards their respective quarters.

‘’Hey.’’ Zed heard his companion call, turning his attention towards him as they walked towards their inn. ‘’Did you tell Khada about the, well, the body?’’

‘’Which one?’’

‘’The last one.’’

He shook his head. Now recalling upon it, they had discussed the latest murder’s details, and Khada admitted to his speculations about the cause of death, which found everyone in agreement. He frowned, as they were about to step foot into the building.

‘’Go in. I’ll be taking a detour.’’

Yasuo grinned. ‘’What kind of detour?’’

‘’Not that kind.’’ Zed scoffed, as his partner waved him off with a laugh, after telling him to watch his step on his way back alone.__

* * *

Sheriff Caitlyn was leaning over her desk, a few too many empty cups of coffee around her. The newspaper and reporters really were ruthless. No respect for boundaries or peace of mind. They kept coming non-stop, after she and the Marshal decided to cancel their statement of the latest murder’s details. Since the murders had come to a halt, revealing the gruesome details at this point would just add fuel to the now extinguished fire. She heard a knock on her door, as her hand instinctively reached to her side, where a large rifle was leaning against the wall.

‘’Who is it.’’

‘’Zed.’’

Her hand retracted, rubbing her head’s temple in response. ‘’Come in.’’

The man stepped inside, closing the door behind him, as he took a seat across the woman. ‘’I apologize for coming by this late.’’ He quickly noted.

‘’It’s fine. Not that late anyways.’’ She mumbled, as she leaned her arms on the table, supporting her face. ‘’Any breakthroughs, Detective?’’

‘’Not as much as we would like.’’ He admitted. ‘’Anything new we have we’ve already reported back.’’

‘’How can I help then?’’

‘’I…’’ He cleared his throat. ‘’How long has it been since you’ve last spoken with Khada? Apart from last week.’’

‘’Khada Jhin?’’ She questioned, an eyebrow raised. ‘’The musician? I can’t recall him visiting me as of recently.’’

Zed frowned. ‘’Did he not visit you around a week ago? The morning after the sixteenth murder.’’

She seemed skeptical for a few seconds, searching around her mind for the day in question, before she gave a determined shook of her head.

‘’He did not. Did he _claim_ he did?’’ She now added, an unfamiliar look in her eyes.

‘’He… he didn’t. I simply overheard something of those lines. I must have heard wrong.’’

She leaned back against her chair. ‘’Very well then. Is that all, Detective? Not trying to be rude, but I _am_ quite busy.’’

‘’Yes, that’s all.’’ He nodded, standing up. ‘’Thank you for your time.’’

‘’Do come find me if anything new arises.’’ She called out, as he exited her office, and walked out of the building.

As he took a step into the street, he came to a halt, his fists clenched.

Khada had lied.

He remembered that day clearly, the day he was shot twice during the sixteenth murder. How he woke up, and spend a good amount of the day with the other man, while the rest visited the Marshal. How they had returned, and found Khada was nowhere in sight. How Khada had claimed the Sheriff had called for him. Why would he lie? Where was he, what was he doing in the meantime? This was bad, he realized. Once he was given a reason for suspicion, his mind wouldn’t let this slide off so easily, until they were completely in the clear.

As much as he hated it, he had started suspecting the man.

He did not return to the inn, instead, he found himself aimlessly walking around town, thoughts running wild in his mind. The Sheriff hadn’t met with Khada. Yet, Khada had claimed so, and somehow was also aware of the latest murder’s details. How come he did not pick up on that sooner? He shook his head. Someone could have filled him in, he realized. Sarah, T.F., Yasuo, Cass, the Marshal. These, apart from the Sheriff, were the only others who were aware of the details, after the Sheriff refused to issue a statement. One of them could have simply told him. He nodded, but he had to make sure. He would have to ask them, but someone _had_ to have briefed him about it. He couldn’t start suspecting his allies now. Nevertheless, his mind kept adding pieces to the never-ending puzzle. Despite him insisting that these pieces weren’t the correct ones, they kept being placed one by one, all of them being exact matches.

Khada uses guns, despite claiming to be a bad shot.

Khada was the one who found him, right after he was attacked during the sixteenth murder. Khada never encountered the Serial Killer.

Khada lied about meeting the Sheriff the following day. Where he was, or his reasons for lying, were unknown.

Khada was not in his assigned position in the woods, when T.F. checked while they were being attacked by the Serial Killer. They speculated that he was dragged away by the murderer, but Khada mentioned no such thing.

Khada did not meet up with the others when he found T.F. unconciouss, instead he headed towards the town.

Khada saw a man exit the saloon through the back door, matching the timestamp of the butcher’s testimony. However, their descriptions did not match, and contradicted each other. Whereas the butcher saw a person hidden under a cloak, with long, woman-like hair, Khada had seen a man fitting Sarah’s description of the Serial Killer.

Khada had changed, ever since him and Zed became _closer_. He was slightly blunter, more daring.

Khada had kissed him the night of the seventeenth murder. Zed did not refuse him.

The murders, abruptly came to a stop.

He realized he had stopped, his fists clenched, and his eyes staring holes into the ground, slightly wide. The puzzle in his mind looked complete. Apart from two pieces, right, in the center.

* * *

Stepping inside their room, all it took was one glance from the other man to realize that something was wrong. He was quickly up to his feet, both hands securely grabbing the other’s shoulders.

‘’Hey hey, what’s wrong?’’

Zed found himself unable to meet the other’s eyes, his sight averted elsewhere.

‘’You’re not hurt right?’’ Yasuo spoke once more, moving around to examine his partner, slightly anxious.

‘’I’m fine.’’ Zed replied, to which the other man sighed.

‘’Then what happened?’’

Zed sat on the side of his bed, as the other man followed suit right next to him.

‘’I… might know.’’ Zed’s throat felt raspy, as he tried to swallow his hesitation back. ‘’Who the killer is.’’

Yasuo’s eyes shot wide, a smile appearing on his face. ‘’That’s great!’’ But seeing the other man not share his excitement, his smile slowly disappeared. ‘’Is.. is it not?’’

Zed shook his head.

‘’Don’t tell me…’’ Yasuo quickly caught up to the situation. ‘’Do… we know them?’’

Zed gave a simple, slow nod.

Yasuo looked away, his hand rubbing his own nape. ‘’..Who is it?’’ He asked, his voice low enough to barely be heard.

Zed turned to meet the other man’s eyes. ‘’Should I tell you?’’ He asked, but somehow it sounded as if he was asking himself, and not his companion. ‘’What if I’m wrong? What if I’m really overthinking this? My mind is already clouded with all these suspicions, is it right to do the same to yours?’’

Yasuo looked skeptical, his hands now wrapped around his own jaw.

‘’How…’’ He cleared his throat. ‘’How will you be sure if you’re wrong or not?’’

‘’I have a question to ask. To everyone.’’

Yasuo’s features were filled with anxiety, but Zed’s glare woke him out of it.

‘’Did you tell Khada about the last murder’s details?’’

* * *

The semi-last piece to the puzzle had been placed. After asking everyone, they all refused speaking to Khada about the details of the murder. His mind, his consciousness, were now certain of it. Khada Jhin, was the town’s Serial Killer. But, somehow there was still one last piece missing. Zed had to admit, that he didn’t want to accept this. He didn’t want him to be the killer everyone was searching for. He didn’t want to even comprehend that everyone had placed their trust, and friendship in a murderer. Unless he heard it from the other man himself, the puzzle would never be finished.

Yasuo, had realized who the suspect was, after Zed’s question. He did not, however, speak with him about it. He stayed silent, waiting for Zed to say something on his own. But that never came, so in frustration, he decided to speak up.

‘’How… how are we going to proceed with this?’’ Yasuo asked, as he and Zed were both staring towards the piano, where the man was skillfully playing the instrument without seemingly a care in the world.

Zed gulped down the rest of his drink, slamming it onto the table a little louder than he expected.

‘’..Can I talk to him?’’

‘’Talk to him?’’ Yasuo scoffed, immediately taking on the offense. ‘’About what?’’

‘’Turning himself in.’’

‘’Are you sane?’’ The harsh words immediately came. ‘’He’s just going to make a run for it! We should just wait until he heads back to T.F.’s house at night, and ambush him. Call the Sheriff, the Marshal, all of us. Corner him.’’

The pair of eyes, that fell on Yasuo’s, was more serious than he’d ever seen them before.

‘’If he doesn’t turn himself in, I’ll kill him _myself_.’’

Yasuo’s eyes widened, but fell silent on the statement, as he saw Zed stand up, and walk towards the piano.

* * *

* * *

Zed’s arms were wrapped around his own knees, close to his chest. He was silent, staring hard into the ground. The man sitting next to him had his eyes straight on the horizon, over the dark, immense waters of the lake.

‘’It feels different, somehow.’’ Khada Jhin spoke in a low, but kind voice. ‘’Almost painful to look at.’’

‘’…Why is that?’’

‘’That is just the feeling it is giving me. Grief, sadness. Disappointment.’’

The final piece was hovering over the empty spot, right at the heart of the puzzle.

‘’Distrust. Hatred.’’ The man continued his monologue, in an almost poetic voice. ‘’Death.’’

There was silence.

‘’Is it you?’’

Khada chuckled. ‘’Is this the conclusion you have reached?’’

The final piece clicked in the puzzle.

‘’You’ve lied one too many times. It just took me longer to put the pieces together. All of these instances… they _can’t_ be all simple coincidences.’’ He monotonously replied, as he turned to his side. The other man was looking towards him peacefully, his whole body language calm and collected. As if, he hadn’t just been caught red-handed.

‘’So, _Detective._ Whatever shall you do with me next?’’

Zed closed his eyes for a few, long seconds. ‘’I’ll give you a choice. Turn yourself in.’’

‘’Or… death? I presume.’’ The slender male replied with a low laugh.

Zed didn’t need to confirm his words, the answer was more than obvious.

‘’Very well.’’ Khada declared, suddenly standing up. He extended his hands forward, wrists pressed together. ‘’Arrest me.’’

He frowned. After all this… He is just giving himself in? Seventeen murders, and he just… gives up?

Zed reached behind his own back, retrieving a pair of handcuffs. ‘’…Don’t try anything.’’ He pointed out. After all, his trust towards the other man had decreased rapidly.

‘’Worry not, it is not in my plans.’’ Khada replied with a smile, the sound of metal clinging echoing from the handcuffs being locked in place. ‘’I am well aware of your feelings. You do not wish to kill me. I shall not bestow such pain upon you.’’

Zed shook his head, as he dragged him along. Suddenly, he was met with another silhouette a few feet away from him, one that he immediately recognized as his companion. Yasuo leaned against a tree, his arms crossed against his chest.

‘’So.’’ He stated. ‘’It’s him?’’

His partner nodded.

Yasuo frowned, a disgusted expression on his features as he approached the two other man.

‘’All this trust, straight to the trash huh?’’ He scoffed, drawing his katana with a glare. Before Zed could say, or do anything, the weapon’s handle struck the handcuffed man in the back of the head, knocking him out cold and dropping on the floor.

‘’Go clear your head.’’ Yasuo now offered, leaning towards the ground to pick up the detained man. ‘’I’ll deal with him.’’

‘’..Are you sure?’’

His companion nodded, shooing him away.

He saw him walk off with the ‘criminal’ in hands, being dragged behind him as if he was a lifeless corpse. He was left there, standing on the shore, mind poisoned with doubts, and grief.

_You should have seen this coming,_ he told himself.

_‘Romance’ isn’t for you. Only criminals, blood and death deserve your attention. _He knew he was right. He was proved right.

Yet, the ever-growing feeling crushing at his chest did not go away.

He was back at the saloon before he realized, where Sarah, Tobias and Cass all sat around a table, service seemingly over. He approached them with slow, reluctant steps.

What should he do?

Should he tell them the truth? That the person who plagued this city in death, was their trusted friend? Someone most of these people had come to think of as family?

‘’Ya don’t seem too good there.’’ T.F. quickly noted.

He shook his head. A bounty hunter. That’s all he is, that’s all he ever was.

‘’We identified the Serial Killer.’’

* * *

A woman rushed into the Sheriff’s office, infuriated. The Sheriff stood up, as the Marshal remained leaning against the wall. She approached the detainment cage in the corner of the office, her fists slamming against the bars.

‘’You fuckin’ bastard!’’ She yelled, her voice cracking from rage. ‘’I fuckin’ trusted you, you piece of shit! Ya hear me?! Trusted you!’’ Her slender, fragile hands grasped the bars, as if she was attempting to rip them off. Cassiopeia came rushing in a few seconds later, her hands on the other female’s shoulders, attempting to pry her off. Sweet whispers into her ear seemed to calm her, as Sarah reluctantly moved back, only after giving the bars one final kick.

‘’Fucker.’’ She muttered, taking a seat in the back of the office.

The man sitting inside the cell, remained calm, legs crossed and hands folded in his lap. His eyes were closed, and if not for the unignorable commotion, one could mistake him for fast asleep.

T.F. now entered, inspecting the situation around him with an exhausted, but also disappointed sigh.

‘’So it’s true, huh?’’ He shook his head. ‘’…What do we do?’’

‘’The only thing that’s left to do.’’ The Marshal stated the obvious, cocking the safety off his guns.

‘’Marshal, please.’’ The Sheriff exclaimed, tracing circles around her temples with her own fingers.

‘’_Please,_ what?’’ Lucian glared towards the woman. ‘’I do not see any other way to deal with the situation. A public execution might be more fitting, but a painful death in this disgusting little cell might be just enough for someone like _him_.’’

‘’We are _not_ murderers, Marshal. We bring people _to _justice, we do not _bestow _it upon them. The trial shall decide his fate. And last time I checked, my position is **higher** than your own, so you **will **listen to my orders.’’ The woman’s authority was absolute, but did not waver the Marshal’s glare. It did, however, make him lower his handgun.

‘’The civilians will be enraged once they learned of what we did. We found the criminal, and just handed him off? Like he isn’t our business? Because he _is_.’’

‘’I will **not** let my townspeople become vigilantes, Marshal. My word is final. The Justice department in Zaun shall deal with him.’’

The man shook his head in utter disappointment.

‘’Fine Sheriff. Enjoy finding your way out of this mess.’’

Said Sheriff thoughtfully glanced towards the cell, where the man sitting inside, had now opened his eyes. They were half-lidded, a seemingly bored expression, head slightly tilted to the side, glancing back towards her.

Near the back of the office, leaning against the wall were the two 'Detectives'. Both with arms crossed over their chests, eyes towards different direction however. Yasuo was staring towards the cell, whereas his companion’s sight was aimed towards the floor. He glanced towards Zed, wanting to break the ever suffocating icy atmosphere. But what was he to say? ‘Are you alright?’ Clearly, he wasn’t. Nobody was, at that very moment. He shook his head as to reassemble his thoughts, clearing his throat.

‘’So, we hand him over to Zaun and then announce his arrest to the public? That will have to happen eventually, y’ know.’’

Sheriff Caitlyn nodded. ‘’Indeed. First he gets escorted out, then the announcement.’’ She sighed deeply, her palms tracing over her eyes in an exaggerated manner.

‘’You alright, Sheriff?’’ Fate offered.

‘’How did we end up in this mess?’’ Caitlyn questioned, nobody sure who she was talking to. A low chuckle, however, was clearly heard from inside the cell.

‘’What the fuck are you laughing for?’’ Sarah glared daggers, to which the man shook his head, but did not reply.

The office’s door was suddenly yanked open, no knocks or questions asked beforehand. A woman walked in, a traditional long dress covering her from head to toe, and her hair tied behind her back, blonde and gracefully falling down.

‘’S-…Sheriff.’’ She panted out.

‘’Mary?’’ Sarah questioned, immediately approaching the other female. ‘’What happened?’’

‘’Who is this woman?’’ The Marshal questioned.

‘’The late bartender’s widow.’’ The Sheriff quickly replied. ‘’How can I help?’’ She now turned towards the woman herself.

‘’A…A murder..there’s been another murder.’’

Silence fell upon the room, the only sounds to be heard being the woman’s ragged breathing, and Zed’s ever so loud heartbeat. At least to his own ears, it was deafening, not completely sure whether it was undiscerned to the others.

‘’A what?’’ Yasuo’s shocked voice broke the silence.

‘’A m-murder.’’ The woman repeated. In the middle of the street, near my saloon.’’

‘’The middle of…’’ The Marshal was equally confused, just as much as the others. He glanced towards the cell, only to receive a smile and a wave of a hand. He scrunched his nose, turning back towards the female. ‘’The perpetrator, did they see him?’’

‘’Yes sir… They’re still there.’’

As if coordinated, both the Marshal and the Sheriff reached for their weapons and hats, immediately preparing to head out. The rest still stood in shock, until they noticed the Sheriff taking out a ring of keys, and unlocking Khada Jhin’s cell.

‘’What in heaven’s name are you doing, woman?’’ T.F. questioned, but received no answer, as after the woman opened the door, followed the Marshal who had already stepped outside.

Khada Jhin gracefully walked outside in a proudful manner, his hands still handcuffed on the front. He extended both of them towards Zed as he offered a smile, while the other still stood in utter shock.

‘’Mind, unlocking these for me?’’ He kindly asked, his voice slightly differently toned from being silent all this time.

Zed, almost mechanically took out the handcuffs keys, slowly unlocking them.

‘’It…is not you?’’

‘’As much as you may have wished it to be, I must disappoint you. Answers later, dear. A murderer awaits us.’’ He finished, heading outside after retrieving his firearm from the Sheriff’s desk. The two Detectives, T.F. and the ladies, were speechless for a few more seconds, before Sarah rushed outside, quickly followed by Cass, T.F. and the widow. Yasuo gave Zed’s arm a pull, as to awaken him from his thoughts.

‘’Let’s… let’s go.’’ He offered, to which Zed gave a quick nod, finally heading outside themselves.

Running down the street they could easily discern the formed crowd only a few blocks ahead, seemingly in a circle around something, or someone. Upon closer inspection, as they hurried over, they could finally see the gruesome display amidst that said circle, for everyone’s innocent eyes to feast upon. Another corpse, in a similar manner to the previous ones. In front of it stood the Marshal and the Sheriff, guns and rifle at hands, their backs turned towards them and the body. They seemed occupied with something more important. The Detectives pushed among the crowd to reach them, standing next to the other members of their group, next to the two officers.

Across from them, stood the living example of the description Zed had been given, more than once. A tall, slender silhouette, dressed in a cowboy attire. A red bandana across the face, goggles and hat covering whatever else the cloth didn’t. If the civilian didn’t confirm that a murder took place while they were in the Sheriff’s office, Zed and Yasuo would be certain that they were looking at Khada Jhin, the Serial Killer.

However, Khada Jhin was standing right next to them, eyes glued on the yet unidentified individual.

Zed now took a closer look at the criminal’s weapon. A firearm, no doubt, but the kind was still confusing. A mix between a _crossbow_ and a gun, silver-colored bullets attached around the person’s waist on a bandolier.

‘’Identify yourself.’’ The Sheriff ordered.

The person complied, a hand extended towards their head, removing the hat. The Marshal watched them hawk-eyed, ready to strike at any suspicious movements. As the hat fell to the ground, long, silky black hair unfolded, tied securely in a braid. The person finally lowered their bandana and tore off their goggles, revealing their face upon all.

A woman.

Zed’s hunch was right. After all this, it _was_, a woman after all.

‘’_Shauna Vayne _.’’ The woman replied, her voice menacing and low. ‘’A _hunter_.’’

‘’A hunter?’’ The Marshal spat out. ‘’Who hunts what, innocent bystanders?’’ Flashing a glance towards Khada Jhin, he turned his sight back towards her. ‘’Have you been behind all the attacks in this time?’’

‘’Correct.’’ She replied, no audible remorse in her voice. ‘’And I shall assure you, no innocent blood has been spilled.’’ She raised her head slightly, looking down upon them from behind her nose.

‘’What nonsense are you spouting?’’ The Sheriff now argued.

‘’I am a Demon Hunter.’’ The woman clarified. ‘’I trace those using dark magic, those who have escaped from far, far away from here, attempting to mingle with civilians. Everyone that I've hunted was a _monster_ on the inside. Such magic should not exist upon these lands, it is something foreign. I’ve been assigned a mission to locate, and _cleanse_ it.’’

The officers were silent for a good while, seemingly processing this new information.

‘’Which nation do you work for?’’ The Marshal now countered. ‘’We need to confirm your statements. Otherwise…’’

‘’Demacia.’’ The woman replied, an eyebrow raised in a snobby, arrogant way. ‘’For the High Office of Silvermere. Feel free to cross-examine it as much as you want.’’

‘’That matters not.’’ A voice was heard, along with steps, approaching closer to the woman. Khada Jhin had walked to the front, now standing directly opposite of the female.

‘’I am well accustomed to the laws, much in contrast to you, apparently.’’ He now replied, in the same arrogant tone as Shauna Vayne’s.

‘’You have no power in this region, let alone executing duties. Your power extends to your own region and the outskirts of the nearby ones, Freljord and Noxus. All of your acts in this region and town have been criminal ones.’’

‘’Just who do you think you are?’’ The woman spat back, eyes narrowed.

The man’s hand fell hidden inside his vest, as if to draw a gun, but suddenly emerged once more, a piece of metal in his hand, being held mere inches in front of the woman’s face.

‘’Khada Jhin.’’ He stated. ‘’A Constable stationed in Zaun. And much unlike you, my power _does_ extend here.’’

‘’A.. A what?’’ Yasuo furrowed his brows, confusion clear in his face.

‘’A Constable.’’ The Sheriff repeated. ‘’An officer, specializing in criminal law enforcement. He is stationed in Zaun currently, but works internationally across Runeterra.

‘’W-Wait, you know him?!’’ Sarah demanded to know, the Marshal looking towards the Sheriff in an equally confused manner.

Caitlyn nodded. ‘’I do. I was informed of his arrival months ago. I have been briefing him up on the case.’’

Khada extended a hand behind his back, towards the Sheriff, who handed him a pair of handcuffs.

‘’As the law states and orders, Shauna Vayne, you are arrested under eighteen counts of pre-meditated murder. A trial for you shall be held in Zaun, led of course, by me.’’

The woman narrowed her eyes and glared, as she was being handcuffed.

‘’Demacia _will_ learn about this. I won’t let this slide.’’

‘’Shall I add threats towards a Law Officer to your counts, my dear?’’ Khada countered, as she handed her over to the Sheriff. ‘’I shall contact my office as soon as possible. They will be here tomorrow dawn for her retrieval.’’

The Sheriff nodded, as she walked towards her office with the woman at hand, the Marshal accompanying her with guns still drawn on her back. The two Detectives were left staring at their slowly disappearing backs, the only sounds to be heard being the ever disappointed, and bitter murmurs of the crowd.

* * *

* * *

He was sitting absentmindedly on the large, wooden rocking chair, eyes glued to the floor in front of him. The boy, lying chest first on the ground, kept drawing intensely, as if he was preparing the next masterpiece of the century. The man stood up from the chair, kneeling down next to the child.

‘’What are you drawing?’’

‘’You.’’ The boy replied.

Zed narrowed his eyes, scanning the poor excuse of a draw. A tall, stick figure of a person faintly resembling his attire stared back at him.

‘’I don’t look like that.’’ He commented, to which the child grinned.

‘’Yes you do.’’

He inspected the newly added stick figure next to his own, looking similar to his, expect for the excessive mass of hair drawn all around its head.

‘’Who’s that?’’

‘’That’s Yasuo.’’ The child chuckled, and Zed felt a smile creep its way on his lips. ‘’Well, he’s surely spot on.’’

‘’When is he coming by again?’’ The boy now questioned.

‘’Today, at least that’s what he claimed. But you know him. Could be today, could be tomorrow, could be next month.’’

‘’Is Riven coming too?’’

Zed rolled his eyes. ‘’She is.’’

And just mere seconds after the reply, a rhythmical knock was heard on the door, to which the child immediately bolted towards.

Zed smiled and stood up, sitting on a nearby couch, eyes towards the ceiling and a sigh escaping his lips. He listened to the usual greetings between the boy and the other man, as well as the woman’s cheery voice.

Yasuo finally walked in from the hallway, offering a bright smile to the other man.

‘’Hello there.’’

‘’Late as always.’’ Zed commented, but his tone held no grudge, _as always_.

‘’You know how it is, duty calls.’’ Yasuo sat down next to him, his grin reaching up to his ears. ‘’Kayn grew up a lot, huh?’’ He now commented.

‘’It hasn’t even been three months.’’ Zed rolled his eyes.

‘’Children grow every day. He’ll be a man before we even realize it.’’ 

Said child to be man walked in, approaching Zed.

‘’Can I go over to Yasuo’s house?’’

The man raised an eyebrow. ‘’Did Riven go there?’’ The child nodded. ‘’Fine, go.’’ He was out before he knew it, happily walking to the house across the street.

‘’He really likes her, huh?’’ Yasuo chuckled.

The female was an excellent swordswoman, always willing to teach the child all sorts of techniques, at least as many as he could handle at his age. And the boy’s interest in the weapons’ field never seemed to cease.

‘’As long as she’s careful.’’

‘’Sure thing _dad_.’’ Yasuo mocked, earning himself a punch on the shoulder.

‘’How’s the bounty hunting going?’’ Zed offered to ask, to which the other man sighed in content.

‘’The usual. Nothing fairly interest since the last incident.’’

Last incident, was two years ago. Zed and Yasuo took a job in Noxus, a campaign to bring down a corrupt Noxian _General._ It was a hard job, even harder than simply killing him, as it involved finding information and evidence leading to his downfall from the position. It lasted several months, but they finally did it. Evidence of severe war crimes, even against the man’s own nation, including slavery and child soldiers sent as sheep to the slaughter, simply to tank a few bullets and perish. That’s when they met Kayn. The child was barely ten years old, but as they were informed, he had already been sent to the battlefield twice before. And when they found him in the large storage room, alongside dozens of other children, he was about to be sent out for a third. It was more of looking down upon an untamed animal, cornered and ready to strike. While the other children were crying, or trembling with fear, that boy stood his ground, no expression visible on his features. Until they, alongside with Officials on the case freed the children, he remained silent. But as the children walked out one by one, that boy walked up, and stood next to Zed’s side.

‘’Go.’’ Zed urged. ‘’These people will help you. You are safe now.’’

The boy shook his head. ‘’I’ll stay with you.’’ He announced.

Zed frowned. ‘’No you won’t. I can’t take care of a child.’’

‘’I’m not a child.’’

‘’That’s hardly the point.’’

Their nonsense of a bickering continued for hours, until Zed finally agreed to the child following him, instead of getting an inevitable aneurism. And until now, two years had passed, and he hadn’t regretted his decision at all. Without wanting to admit it out loud, he had grown extremely attached to the child.

‘’How’s life here?’’ Yasuo asked back.

‘’Calm. Peaceful.’’ He admitted. ‘’A pleasant change from running around the nation, I will admit.’’

His old companion laughed at that. ‘’Maybe you were a family man from the beginning. Shouldn’t have dragged you along with me on all these shenanigans.’’

‘’I don’t regret the past.’’ Zed softly smiled. ‘’I enjoyed those ’shenanigans’.’’

Yasuo sighed, leaning back. ‘’So did I.’’ He scratched lightly at his the stubble around his jaw, seemingly considering his words. ‘’So, I’ve been thinking.’’

‘’That’s new.’’ The other man immediately mocked.

‘’Yeah yeah, anyways, uh..’’

Zed could immediately tell of the reluctance in the man’s voice. What was he so afraid to suggest?

‘’Don’t tell me…’’ Realization finally shined upon him, as Yasuo awkwardly smiled.

‘’You want to go back, don’t you? To Piltover.’’

‘’Well…yeah.’’ He finally admitted. ‘’I don’t know about you, but I miss the guys, you know? I’d like to visit them.’’

‘’That’s… reasonable.’’

‘’R-Reasonable?’’ Yasuo repeated.

‘’Sure, why not? I’d like to see how they’re keeping up as well.’’

‘’Well this went better than I expected.’’ The other man admitted with a chuckle.

‘’What did you expect?’’ Zed raised an eyebrow.

‘’That you might not have wanted to go back. After, well. What happened.’’

Zed averted his eyes, fully reminded of the incident of a few years ago.

The Serial Killer of Pilrover was revealed to be a Demacian woman, named Shauna Vayne, and Khada Jhin, the person he believed to be responsible for these crimes, was proven to be a Constable of the state. After the real criminal was arrested, and the crowd dispersed on that fateful night, no more words were spoken before the two Bounty Hunters and the others. T.F., Sarah and Cass followed the Sheriff and Marshal, and Khada Jhin left the scene to contact his office. That was when Zed felt a hand grasp his shoulder, awakening him from the shock of the sudden turn of events.

‘’Hey, you alright?’’

Zed nodded.

‘’Let’s go.’’

‘’Go?’’ Yasuo questioned.

‘’Our job is done. The killer is apprehended. There is nothing more for us to do here.’’

Yasuo was confused, but realized his companion wasn’t much up for conversation. So he agreed.

‘’Yeah, sure. We can… leave at dawn.’’

And after returning to their inn and packing up, they left a few hours later. Without a word to anybody, and with goodbyes left unsaid.

‘’Why did we even leave like that?’’ Yasuo finally asked. ‘’We could have at least said goodbye.’’

‘’I wasn’t in the mood.’’ Zed tried to brush the subject off.

‘’Just because you weren’t in the mood to see off your boyfriend I couldn’t say goodbye either?’’ Yasuo spat back, earning him a glare.

‘’I didn’t drag you off you know. If you wanted to stay, you could have stayed.’’ Zed disputed.

A sigh was his reply. ‘’Why didn’t you even wanna talk to him? Things went downhill because you thought he was the Killer. Shouldn’t you have been glad that he was innocent?’’

‘’I was glad. ‘’ He admitted.

‘’Then? What happened?’’

There was silence for the following seconds.

‘’I don’t know.’’ He admitted. ‘’Everything… happened too fast. I was confused. Shocked, even. I wanted out.’’

‘’Huh.’’ Yasuo glanced away. ‘’That’s honest.’’

‘’Not much to hide at this point.’’

‘’Well, he did hide things from you. Can’t really blame you for wanting to leave. Though we kinda lied to them as well..’’ He chuckled awkwardly.

‘’Not all of them. Sarah knew about both of us. And I did eventually tell Khada.’’

‘’At least you were honest to him. Makes the case worse for him then.’’

The door suddenly opened, and the boy ran inside, followed by a tall, fairly muscled woman.

‘’Hello Zed.’’ She greeted with a smile, to which the man greeted back.

‘’Hello Riven.’’

‘’Just in time.’’ Yasuo announced.

‘’In time for what?’’ The woman raised an eyebrow in question.

‘’Well, we’ll be going on a little trip.’’

* * *

The train ride seemed longer than they remembered. Something odd, considering the town they had settled in was closer than their original starting point. Perhaps it was the anticipation, perhaps the excitement. Or in Zed’s case, an uneasy feeling in his guts. The conductor’s voice once more announced their arrival, as they all stepped out the train.

‘’Are you sure about bringing Kayn here?’’ Yasuo asked with a smile.

‘’I’m not leaving him alone.’’

‘’That’s not what-‘’

‘’Well, isn’t this city a sight.’’ Riven exclaimed, looking around. She was wearing a cowgirl attire, consisting of a white vest with a few buttons undone, a pair of brown shorts right aboveher knees, and high brown boots with silver spurs on them. A large, broken-looking sword rested on her back, wrapped around her securely.

‘’Sure is.’’ Yasuo agreed, as he offered to take the luggage from her, only to naturally be turned down. Kayn also took a look around, his hand raised up to his forehead, protecting his eyes from the blazing sun.

‘’It’s really hot.’’ He pointed out.

Kayn was wearing a white shirt with a black ribbon around the collar, paired with black pants reaching to his knees. A traditional attire for a child, of these times. Perhaps not for that kind of scorching weather, however.

‘’The walk is not that long.’’ Zed reassured him, as they began walking towards their previously used inn. Naturally, the inn owner remembered them well enough, his bright, money-grabbing smile returning, immediately welcoming them back and leading them to their rooms. Different rooms, this time. Zed entered one with the boy, and Yasuo another with the woman. Before he was even able to put their luggage down, Yasuo flew in through the door.

‘’Ready?’’

‘’For what?’’ Kayn asked as he struggled to roll up his sleeves, saving Zed having to ask the question.

‘’We need to pay some people a visit.’’ Yasuo smiled.

‘’You’re really excited, huh?’’ Zed smiled as well, as he kneeled down, helping the child with his task. ‘’We just arrived.’’

‘’Well.. yeah. So, shall we?’’

‘’Fine, fine. Let’s go.’’

* * *

Yasuo had walked ahead of them, towards the familiar entrance to the saloon. Nothing had changed, Zed thought, as his friend pushed the swinging doors open, and Zed walked in right behind him. The interior looked the same, as well. In the back, he could see Sarah behind the bar, and T.F. sitting on a stool in front of her, shuffling a pack of cards in his hands.

‘’We’re not open yet.’’ He heard Sarah call in from the back, not raising her sight to look at them.

‘’Damn, you’re not? Maybe we can come back some other time.’’ Yasuo laughed.

The woman finally looked up to see them, her expression turning into pure shock, the glass she was cleaning falling from her slender hands and crashing on the floor.

T.F. raised his head towards her, along with an eyebrow. ‘’Geez woman, be careful.’’ He noticed her shocked line of sight, and followed it, now meeting the familiar faces across the store as well.

‘’Well I’ll be damned.’’ He grinned, immediately getting up and approaching them, the woman running not far behind them.

T.F. immediately wrapped his arms around Yasuo, both men patting each other’s backs for several seconds.

‘’And here I thought ya were dead.’’ T.F.’s grin extended from ear to ear. ‘’Guess ya’re tougher than I thought.’’

‘’Wouldn’t be a bounty hunter if I died easily.’’ Yasuo countered with a smile, to which T.F. shook his head, the grin still plastered upon his features.

‘’So it’s true huh? Sheriff told us about you.’’

‘’Huh? How come she knew?’’

‘’Khada must’ve told her I reckon.’’ T.F. replied, scratching his beard absentmindedly.

While the two men were catching up, Sarah was busy staring holes into the child standing next to Zed.

‘’…Don’t tell me…’’

Zed rolled his eyes, knowing full well where this was headed.

‘’Goddamn it, Tobias, look!’’

T.F. peaked his head towards her direction, taking his turn looking down at the boy and letting out a laugh.

‘’Ya a family man now, huh? Suits you, I’ll admit.’’

Riven had now walked in as well, and T.F tipped his hat towards her, ever polite.

‘’The lady, I assume?’’

‘’Yeah, no.’’ Yasuo cut him short. ‘’She’s too good for him.’’

Riven winked in reply as she extended a hand to both T.F. and Sarah afterwards.

‘’Riven, it’s a pleasure.’’

‘’Pleasure’s all ours.’’ T.F. replied, before elbowing Yasuo in the ribs.

‘’Ya lucky dog.’’ He whispered, to which the other man chuckled.

‘’Seems like Lady Luck finally shined upon me after all these games I lost to you.’’

‘’We still got time to change that.’’ T.F. grinned, sliding out a pack of cards from his vest in a swift motion.

‘’Oh, you’re on.’’ Yasuo laughed, taking a seat along with T.F. ‘’Sarah, drinks!’’

The woman rolled her eyes, heading to the counter.

‘’Wanna join me?’’ She asked Riven. ‘’I’d love to hear about what y’all been up to.’’

‘’Sure thing, I’d like to know more about you folks over here as well.’’ Riven smiled, following her to the back. 

Zed took a seat along with the other men as well, before turning towards the child.

‘’Have a seat.’’

The child rolled his eyes to another direction. ‘’Can I walk around for a bit? This place reeks of beer and smoke.’’ He replied, making a face as he pinched his nose in exaggeration.

Zed chuckled, but complied. ‘’Don’t go too far.’’

‘’Yeah, yeah.’’ And with that, Kayn was out of the saloon, stretching his arms under the warm afternoon sun. But not managing to take just a few steps away from the store, he found himself bumping on someone.

‘’Oh, I apologize.’’ The figure immediately exclaimed, kneeling down on the child’s level. ‘’You were not hurt, were you?’’

Kayn simply raised an eye towards the other man, before speaking. ‘’My father says I shouldn’t talk to strangers.’’

The man chuckled, a low, warm sound. ‘’That is some great advice your father gave you.’’

The boy crossed his arms in front of his chest. ‘’Then stop _talking_ to me. My father killed people for a living, y’know? If he finds you speaking to me he’ll mess you up.’’

The man now narrowed his eyes in clear interest. ‘’..Is that so? I’d love to have a word with your father then. Mind letting me know of his whereabouts?’’

Kayn sighed deeply, as if he was shouldering the world's weight on his shoulders, turning heel to walk back to the saloon, the man following behind short. He pushed the swinging doors open, and approached Zed, tugging his sleeve to earn his attention.

‘’Some weirdo wants to talk to you.’’ He informed, to which Zed frowned, as he turned around.

‘’Some what-‘’

His eyes met an amber pair once more, after a long, long time.

Khada Jhin stood behind him, his hand resting on his waist as usual, in an elegant posture. His attire was the same as he remembered, apart from an official badge now hanging from his vest, the words ‘Constable’ written upon it with bold letters.

‘’_That_, weirdo.’’ Kayn replied after the pause, taking a seat next to Zed, clearly uninterested and blind to the suddenly awkward atmosphere.

Khada seemed to take a moment to assess the situation, before finally offering one of his usual smiles.

‘’When I heard that his father killed people for a living, this is certainly not what I expected.’’

Zed frowned and turned towards the child.

‘’Is _that_ what you tell people?’’

The child raised an eyebrow to him, as he was sipping on some orange juice Sarah had offered him in the meanwhile. ‘’What? It’s true.’’

‘’It’s _not._’’ Zed glared, but his strict tone fell upon deaf ears.

‘’Lovely day we’re having, _Constable._’’ T.F. chuckled, as he passed cards to himself and Yasuo.

Khada Jhin found himself chuckling as well. ‘’What happened to _musician?_ Am I known as 'Constable' now?’’

‘’Course you are. Here I thought ya were one of us, but ya’re another government dog.’’ T.F. grinned, to which Khada shook his head, the smile never leaving his lips.

‘’I shall pretend I never heard that.’’

‘’Well, better than being a Serial Killer.’’ Sarah added from the back.

‘’That’s for sure.’’ T.F. agreed.

Khada now turned towards Zed once more, who had been looking at him for a while now.

‘’Mind following me outside, for a second?’’

Zed had apparently lost himself in thoughts, as he heard none of the other man’s words. That was, until he felt Yasuo’s foot stomping on his own, turning his head towards the other abruptly.

‘’Follow the gent outside, _Zed._’’ Yasuo said with a sickly sweet smile, to which Zed muttered something only he heard in return, before standing up.

‘’Stay here.’’ He told the child, who shook his shoulders indifferently in response.

Stepping outside, he glanced towards the other man ahead of him, his well-curved back dressed in his usual vest shining under the sunlight.’’

‘’Let’s not go too far.’’ Zed said. ‘’I’d rather not leave Kayn alone with Yasuo for too long.’’

Khada Jhin chuckled, a sound different than what he remembered.

‘’Kayn. Your son, correct?’’

‘’Correct.’’ Zed confirmed.

‘’And… his mother?’’ The other male asked, taking a seat on the wooden pavement outside the saloon.

‘’There’s none.’’ He replied, sitting beside him. ‘’He’s a war orphan I took in.’’

‘’Oh.’’ Realization flashed in Khada’s face momentarily, along with some hints of relief, but he quickly regained his posture, clearing his throat before speaking. ‘’How.. admirable.’’

‘’And unexpected, I know.’’ Zed frowned, remembering the teases he received from Sarah and T.F.

‘’Perhaps a little.’’ Khada smiled. ‘’But he seems like a well-behaved and well-raised child, so I believe you did the right thing.’’

Zed sighed, and stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking again. ‘’You didn’t call me here to talk about Kayn.’’ It wasn’t even a question, the truth was obvious enough.

‘’No, certainly not. I believe my time is due to apologize for what happened two years ago.’’

He frowned. ‘’What do _you_ have to apologize for?’’

‘’Concealing the truth.’’ Khada stated as if obvious. ‘’I did not reveal my stature until the very end, and for that I shall apologize. I have already done just so with the others, after all.’’

‘’You weren’t allowed to talk about it with civilians right?’’ After Khada’s nod of confirmation, he continued. ‘’Then there was nothing you could do. The blame isn’t on you. It’s on me, for leaving everything just like that.’’

‘’There is nothing you should blame yourself for. I concealed my identity, and I can understand your reasons for wanting to get away from me. Perhaps disappointment, or even _fear_ of an arrest. As I said before, I _am_ aware of how the state thinks of bounty hunters.’’

‘’A fear for an arrest would be the last thing I had on my mind back then.’’ Zed replied. ‘’I don’t know why I left. I just did.’’

‘’Weren’t ya just afraid of facing him?’’

A voice was heard from behind them. Khada turned to glance towards the male voice, but Zed was well aware of said male’s identity.

‘’Since when do you eavesdrop?’’ He glared, still facing ahead.

‘’Now now, I just came outside for some fresh air.’’ Yasuo smiled. ‘’Street’s public property. And I couldn’t help but comment, my bad.’’

‘’Whatever might he be afraid of facing me for?’’ Khada asked with a raised eyebrow.

‘’He knows full well.’’ Yasuo replied, stretching his arms with a grin like a cat under the warm sun. ‘’That’s up to him to tell you. I’m headin’ back inside.’’

And with that, he was out of their sight, as soon as he waltzed in.

‘’Don’t listen to that idiot.’’ Zed frowned, as Khada was looking at him expectantly.

‘’Said _‘idiot’_ may very well be right. I shall not pressure you, however.’’ He offered, turning his sight away from Zed, who in return sighed, a hand finding its way onto his temples, softly tracing circles around the area.

‘’I was prepared to kill you that night.’’

Khada remained silent.

‘’Confronting you took everything I had. Every single bit of strength I had. I was sure it was you. Almost a hundred percent. And you didn’t deny it. If my anger overcame me back then and there, I _guarantee_ you wouldn’t be sitting here next to me.’’

Khada closed his eyes. ‘’Guilt, is it? For falsely accusing me?’’ It was Zed’s turn to remain silent now, his sight averted away from the other man’s.

‘’There is nothing to feel guilty of. At any instance, I could have simply revealed my badge and elevated my position. But I did not. I kept that façade on, appearing as the Serial Killer just until the real one showed their true colours. If it did not work, I would be sent to Zaun as the Sheriff instructed, so back to my office. Yet it worked. They were apprehended. But I suppose, at the cost of losing someone important to me.’’ He finished, offering a smile.

Zed frowned, unable to form words to answer. What was he supposed to reply with? What would be the best answer, an answer to revert time to how things were back then? There was none, he realized. All he could do, is be honest.

He scratched his forehead, eyes lowered on the ground. ‘’You were..’’

Khada raised an eyebrow. ‘’I was?’’

Zed’s palm rubbed across his face in exasperation with a groan. ‘’I can’t even talk properly.’’

The other male chuckled. ‘’Just say what’s on your mind. ‘_Spit it out_’, you told me once.’’

Zed’s fist hit the wooden pavement, a swear exiting through his gritted teeth. He abruptly turned towards Khada, staring him dead in the eye, the latter fairly bewildered.

‘’I’ve thought about you over these past two years. A lot.’’

That was all he said. Not a word more, but somehow, it was all Khada needed to hear, a warm, honest smile forming on his well-shaped lips.

‘’So have I.’’

Khada’s slender fingers were placed atop Zed’s longer, rougher ones, gently grasping them.

‘’How long is this visit of yours going to last?’’

‘’As long as we want it to.’’ Zed found himself smiling as well.

‘’How brilliant.’’ Khada exclaimed, elegantly standing up, patting his clothes clean of any dust. ‘’Shall we head back inside? We have a lot, to catch up on.’’

And Zed did just that, heading inside after the other man and sitting on the table, where the other two men were sarcastically smiling towards him.

‘’All good I assume?’’ Yasuo sweetly asked, earning himself a usual glare from Zed.

‘’So. You’re Khada.’’ Kayn stated, staring holes into the slender man who sat beside him on the table.

‘’Correct.’’ Said Khada confirmed.

‘’_Kayn._’’ Zed nearly growled, and if glares could kill, the boy would surely be long gone from this world.

‘’Relax, Zed. Kayn didn’t say anythin’ bad.’’ Yasuo tried to calm things down, while the other man continued glaring towards the child.

‘’I know his look.’’ Zed informed.

Kayn leaned against his own fist on the table, sight still pinned on Khada. A smirk was spread across his lips, his eyes mischievously narrowed.

‘’I’ve heard him say your name in his sleep.’’

Zed abruptly stood up, knocking the table aside, glasses and cards scattering everywhere. As if by instinct, Kayn had jumped away a split second before, running to the back of the store and hiding behind the counter next to Sarah who was chuckling.

‘’I already love this kid.’’ She exclaimed as Zed was ominously making his way to the back, while Khada’s warm laugh echoed around the saloon.


End file.
